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The Immortal Game was a
chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
game played by
Adolf Anderssen Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (July 6, 1818 – March 13, 1879)"Anderssen, Adolf" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 385. was a German chess master. He won the great internat ...
and
Lionel Kieseritzky Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky (russian: Лионель Адальберт Багратион Феликс Кизерицкий; – ) was a Baltic German chess master and theoretician, famous for his contributions to chess theory, ...
on 21 June 1851 in London, during a break of the first international tournament. The bold
sacrifices Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...
Anderssen made have made it one of the most famous chess games of all time. Anderssen gave up both
rooks Rook (''Corvus frugilegus'') is a bird of the corvid family. Rook or rooks may also refer to: Games *Rook (chess), a piece in chess *Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game Military *Sukhoi Su-25 The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' (russian: � ...
and a
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
, then his
queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
, checkmating his opponent with his three remaining . In 1996, Bill Hartston called the game an achievement "perhaps unparalleled in chess literature".


Overview

Anderssen was one of the strongest players of his time, and many consider him to have been the world's strongest player after his victory in the
London 1851 chess tournament London 1851 was the first international chess tournament. The tournament was conceived and organised by English player Howard Staunton, and marked the first time that the best chess players in Europe would meet in a single event. Adolf Anderssen ...
. Kieseritzky lived in France much of his life, where he gave chess lessons and played games for five
franc The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...
s an hour at the
Café de la Régence The Café de la Régence in Paris was an important European centre of chess in the 18th and 19th centuries. All important chess masters of the time played there. The Café's masters included, but are not limited to: * Paul Morphy * François ...
in Paris. His strength was shown most favourably when giving substantial to weak players; against masters, he was less convincing. The Immortal Game was an informal one, played during a break in a formal tournament in London; the exact venue is uncertain. Kieseritzky was very impressed with Anderssen's performance; after the game was over, Kieseritzky
telegraphed Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
the moves of the game to his Parisian
chess club A chess club is a club formed for the purpose of playing the board game of chess. Chess clubs often provide for both informal and tournament games and sometimes offer league play. Traditionally clubs host over the board, face to face chess more ...
. The French chess magazine ''La Régence'' published the game in July 1851. The Austrian
Ernst Falkbeer Ernst Karl Falkbeer (June 27, 1819 – December 14, 1885) was an Austrian chess master and journalist. Life and chess career Falkbeer was born in Brünn, a town that in 1819 belonged to Habsburg Austria, and which today is known as Brno in the C ...
nicknamed it "The Immortal Game" in 1855. This game is acclaimed as an exemplar of the 19th-century
romantic style Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
of chess, where rapid and attack were considered the most effective way to win, many
gambit A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage. The word '' gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe sim ...
s and countergambits were offered (and not accepting them would be considered slightly ungentlemanly), and was often held in contempt. These games, with their rapid attacks and counterattacks, are often entertaining to review, even if some of the moves are no longer considered optimal. In this game, Anderssen won despite sacrificing a
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
(on move 11), both rooks (starting on move 18), and the queen (on move 22) to produce
checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...
against Kieseritzky, who lost only three pawns. Anderssen later demonstrated the same kind of approach in the Evergreen Game. Some published versions of the game have errors, as described in the annotations below.


Annotated game

White: Adolf Anderssen Black: Lionel Kieseritzky Opening: Bishop's Gambit ('' ECO'' C33) 1. e4 e5 2. f4 :This is the
King's Gambit The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. f4 White offers a pawn to divert the black e-pawn. If Black accepts the gambit, White has two main plans. The first is to play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit ...
: Anderssen offers his
pawn Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pawn, Oregon, an his ...
in exchange for faster development. This was one of the most popular openings of the 19th century and is still occasionally seen, though defensive techniques have improved since Anderssen's time. 2... exf4 3. Bc4 :The Bishop's Gambit; this line allows 3...Qh4+, depriving White of the right to
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
, and is less popular than 3.Nf3. This check, however, also exposes Black's queen to attack with a gain of
tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
on the eventual Ng1–f3. 3... Qh4+ 4. Kf1 b5 (diagram) :This is the Bryan Countergambit, deeply analysed by Kieseritzky, and which sometimes bears his name. It is not considered a move by most players today. 5. Bxb5 Nf6 6. Nf3 :This is a common developing move, but in addition the
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
attacks Black's queen, forcing Black to move it instead of developing his own side. 6... Qh6 7. d3 :With this move, White solidifies control of the critical of the board. German grandmaster Robert Hübner recommends 7.Nc3 instead. 7... Nh5 :This move threatens ...Ng3+, and protects the pawn at f4, but also sidelines the knight to a poor position at the edge of the board, where knights are the least powerful, and does not develop a piece. 8. Nh4 Qg5 :Better was 8...g6, according to Kieseritzky. 9. Nf5 c6 :This simultaneously unpins the and attacks the bishop. Modern
chess engine In computer chess, a chess engine is a computer program that analyzes chess or chess variant positions, and generates a move or list of moves that it regards as strongest. A chess engine is usually a back end with a command-line interface wit ...
s suggest 9...g6 would be better, to deal with a very troublesome knight. 10. g4 Nf6 11. Rg1 (diagram) :This is an advantageous . If Black accepts, his queen will be boxed in, giving White a lead in development. 11... cxb5? :Hübner believes this was Black's critical mistake; this gains , but loses in development, at a point where White's strong development is able to quickly mount an offensive. Hübner recommends 11...h5 instead. 12. h4! :White's knight at f5 protects the pawn, which attacks Black's queen. 12... Qg6 13. h5 Qg5 14. Qf3 :White (Anderssen) now has two threats: :*Bxf4, trapping Black's queen (the queen having no safe place to go); :*e5, attacking Black's knight at f6 while simultaneously exposing an attack by White's queen on the unprotected black rook at a8. 14... Ng8 :This deals with the threats, but undevelops Black even further—now the only black piece not on its starting square is the queen, which is about to be put on the run, while White has control over a great deal of the board. 15. Bxf4 Qf6 16. Nc3 Bc5 :An ordinary developing move by Black, which also attacks the rook at g1. 17. Nd5 :White responds to the attack with a counterattack. This move threatens the black queen and also Nc7+, forking the king and rook.
Richard Réti Richard Selig Réti (28 May 1889 – 6 June 1929) was an Austro-Hungarian, later Czechoslovakian, chess player, chess author, and composer of endgame studies. He was one of the principal proponents of hypermodernism in chess. With the ex ...
recommends 17.d4 followed by 18.Nd5, with advantage to White, although if 17.d4 Bf8 then 18.Be5 would be a stronger move. 17... Qxb2 (diagram) :Black gains a pawn, and threatens to gain the rook at a1 with
check Check or cheque, may refer to: Places * Check, Virginia Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Check'' (film), a 2021 Indian Telugu-language film * ''The Checks'' (episode), a 1996 TV episode of ''Seinfeld'' Games and sports * Check (chess), a thr ...
. 18. Bd6! :With this move White offers to sacrifice both his rooks. Hübner comments that, from this position, there are actually many ways to win, and he believes there are at least three better moves than 18.Bd6: 18.d4, 18.Be3, or 18.Re1, which lead to strong positions or checkmate without needing to sacrifice so much material. The ''
Chessmaster ''Chessmaster'' is a chess-playing computer game series, which is owned and developed by Ubisoft. It is the best-selling chess franchise in history, with more than five million units sold . Timeline *1986: '' The Chessmaster 2000''. First publ ...
'' computer program annotation says "the main point f 18. Bd6is to divert the black queen from the a1–h8 diagonal. Now Black cannot play 18...Bxd6? 19.Nxd6+ Kd8 20.Nxf7+ Ke8 21.Nd6+ Kd8 22.Qf8#."
Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born 13 April 1963) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist and commentator. His peak rating of 2851, achieved in 1999, was the highest recorded until being surpassed by ...
comments that the world of chess would have lost one of its "crown jewels" if the game had continued in such an unspectacular fashion. The Bd6 move is surprising, because White is willing to give up so much material. 18... Bxg1? :
Wilhelm Steinitz William Steinitz (born Wilhelm Steinitz; May 14, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was an Austrian and, later, American chess player. From 1886 to 1894, he was the first official World Chess Champion. He was also a highly influential writer and c ...
suggested in 1879 that a better move would be 18...Qxa1+; likely moves to follow are 19.Ke2 Qb2 20.Kd2 Bxg1. However, this continuation is still winning for white, despite having many complications. The variation continues 21.e5! Ba6 22.Bb4! Qxe5 (22...Be3+ 23.Qxe3 +/-) (22...Nh6 23.Nd6+ Kf8 24. g5 +-) 23. Nd6+ Qxd6 24. Bxd6 +/-. 19. e5! :This sacrifices yet another white rook. More importantly, this move blocks the queen from participating in the defense of the king, and threatens mate in two: 20.Nxg7+ Kd8 21.Bc7. 19... Qxa1+ 20. Ke2 :At this point, Black's attack has run out of steam; Black has a queen and bishop on the , but cannot effectively mount an immediate attack on White, while White can storm forward. According to Kieseritzky, he at this point. Hübner notes that an article by Friedrich Amelung in the journal ''Baltische Schachblaetter'', 1893, reported that Kiesertizky probably played 20...Na6, but Anderssen then announced the mating moves. ''
The Oxford Companion to Chess ''The Oxford Companion to Chess'' is a reference book on the game of chess written by David Vincent Hooper and Kenneth Whyld. The book is written in an encyclopedia format. The book belongs to the Oxford Companions series. Details The first e ...
'' also says that Black resigned at this point, citing an 1851 publication.Hooper & Whyld (1992) In any case, it is suspected that the last few moves were not actually played on the board in the original game. 20... Na6 :The black knight covers c7 as White was threatening 21.Nxg7+ Kd8 and 22.Bc7#. Another attempt to defend is 20...Ba6, allowing the black king to flee via c8 and b7, although White has enough with the continuation 21.Nc7+ Kd8 and 22.Nxa6, where if now 22...Qxa2 (to defend f7 against Bc7+, Nd6+ and Qxf7#) White can play 23.Bc7+ Ke8 24.Nb4, winning; or, if 22...Bb6 (stopping Bc7+), 23.Qxa8 Qc3 24.Qxb8+ Qc8 25.Qxc8+ Kxc8 26.Bf8 h6 27.Nd6+ Kd8 28.Nxf7+ Ke8 29.Nxh8 Kxf8, with a winning endgame for White. 21. Nxg7+ Kd8 22. Qf6+! (diagram) :This queen sacrifice forces Black to give up his defense of e7. 22... Nxf6 23. Be7# :At the end, Black is ahead in material by a considerable margin: a queen, two rooks, and a bishop. But the material does not help Black. White has been able to use his remaining pieces—two knights and a bishop—to force mate. Savielly Tartakower called this "a beautiful game".


See also

* Evergreen Game – also won by Anderssen *
List of chess games This is a list of notable chess games sorted chronologically. pre-1700 * 1475: Castellví– Vinyoles, Valencia 1475. The first documented chess game played with the modern queen and bishop moves; the moves were described in the poem Scac ...


Notes


References

* Chernev, Irving. ''The Chess Companion''. 1968. . * Eade, James. ''Chess for Dummies''. 1996. Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. . * * Hübner, Robert. "The Immortal Game." ''American Chess Journal'', 3 (1995), p. 14-35. * * Kavalek, Lubomir. Chess (newspaper column). ''Washington Post''. July 2003. * Savielly Tartakower and J. du Mont. ''500 Master Games of Chess''. Dover Publications, June 1, 1975, . *


External links


Lionel Kieseritzky: ''La Régence'', July 1851

Kling und Horwitz: ''The Chess Player'', July 1851

The Immortal Game
import at
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(a popular variation with incorrect 18...Qxa1+, not 18...Bxg1)
Adolf Anderssen vs Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky
ChessGames.com Chessgames.com is an Internet chess community with over 224,000 members. The site maintains a large database of chess games, where each game has its own discussion page for comments and analysis. Limited primarily to games where at least one pl ...

Anderssen's Immortal
Game Analysis at IslandOfGames.com

{{Authority control Chess games Chess in the United Kingdom 1851 in chess June 1851 sports events Nicknamed sporting events