Adolf Anderssen: Legendary Chess Player in the 1900s

source: chess.com

Adolf Anderssen was a German chess master who is one of the greatest players of the 19th century and is considered the leading player in the world before the official World Championship era. He dominated the Romantic Era of chess, a period famous for daring attacks, sacrifices and beautiful combinations. His victory at the first major international tournament in London 1851 chess tournament established him as the strongest player of his generation.

Anderssen's Masterpieces

Anderssen produced two famous games that any chess player knows about. They're beautiful games characterized by the romantic style of chess that was famous during that era. They're called the Immortal Game and the Evergreen Game.

The Immortal Game

The Immortal Game was played in June 1851 against Lionel Kieseritzky. It was from a King's Gambit opening, a combative, sacrificial opening that was the favorite of attacking players. In this game, Anderssen sacrificed his bishop, two rooks and his Queen to deliver checkmate.

Game link: https://www.chess.com/terms/immortal-game-chess

The Evergreen Game

Another famous game is the Evergreen Game played against Jean Dufresne in 1852. It's another attacking masterpiece that showcased his tactical ability. The opening is a variation of the Italian Opening. It was invented by William Davies Evans (not Larry Evans, lol), a Welsh sea captain, around 1826. Evans reportedly developed the idea while serving as a captain in the merchant navy.

The game starts with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4

White sacrifices the b pawn as a sacrifice just like the f4 pawn in the King's Gambit. If Black accepts with 4...Bxb4, White gains time by attacking the bishop and can quickly seize the center and develop pieces with great speed. 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4

For a pawn, White now has a strong center and better mobility. 6...exd4 7. O-O d3

I like this move by Black. Not sure why chess.com analysis says it's bad. THe point of d3 was to return the pawn but not give the d4 square to White. 8. Qb3 Qf6

White immediately targets the f7 square. This is a classic attacking idea in the Italian Game. 9. e5 Qg6 10. Re1 Nge7

The Rook on e1 targets the uncastled Black King. True, there are still pawns blocking the path but White will find ways to open the game. 11. Ba3 b5

The bishop moves to the a3–f8 diagonal, looking toward the weak f8 square and discouraging Black to castle. 12. Qxb5 Rb8 13. Qa4 Bb6 14. Nbd2 Bb7 15. Ne4 Qf5 16. Bxd3 Qh5 17. Nf6+!!

The Knight sacrifice forces the opening of the e file. Now White's Rook on e1 comes to life. 17...gxf6 18. exf6 Rg8

For the first time, Black has a threat of his own. Threatening to capture White's Knight on f3. 19. Rd1!

White ignores the threat on his Knight and adds another attacker against Black's King. 19...Qxf3 20. Rxe7+! Nxe7

After giving up his Knight, Anderssen sacrifices his Rook. But wait, there's more. 21. Qxd7+!!

A beautiful Queen sacrifice. Black has no choice but to accept. 21...Kxd7 22. Bf5+! Ke8 23. Bd7+ Kf8 24. Bxe7# checkmate!

A beautiful game. It's astonishing that the mate was again delivered by White's dark squared Bishop just like in the Immortal Game above.

Game link: https://www.chess.com/terms/evergreen-game-chess