Immortal Game


The Immortal Game was a chess game played by Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky on 21 June 1851 in London, during a break of the first international tournament. The bold sacrifices made by Anderssen to secure victory have made it one of the most famous chess games of all time. Anderssen gave up both rooks and a bishop, then his queen, checkmating his opponent with his three remaining. In 1996, Bill Hartston called the game an achievement "perhaps unparalleled in chess literature".

Overview

Adolf 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. Lionel Kieseritzky lived in France much of his life, where he gave chess lessons, and played games for five francs an hour at the Café de la Régence in Paris. His strength was shown most favourably when giving great odds to weak players; against masters, he was less convincing.
Played between the two great players in London, the Immortal Game was an informal one, played during a break in a formal tournament. Kieseritzky was very impressed when the game was over, and telegraphed the moves of the game to his Parisian chess club. The French chess magazine La Régence published the game in July 1851. This game was nicknamed "The Immortal Game" in 1855 by the Austrian Ernst Falkbeer.
This game is acclaimed as an exemplar of the romantic style of chess play in the 19th century, where rapid and attack were considered the most effective way to win, where many gambits and counter-gambits were offered, and where was often held in contempt. These games, with their rapid attacks and counter-attacks, are often entertaining to review, even if some of the moves would no longer be considered optimal by modern standards.
In this game, Anderssen won despite sacrificing a bishop, both rooks, and the queen to produce checkmate against Kieseritzky, who only lost three pawns. He offered both rooks to show that two active pieces are worth a dozen inactive pieces. 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.

Annotated game

White: Adolf Anderssen Black: Lionel Kieseritzky Opening: Bishop's Gambit
1. e4 e5 2. f4
2... exf4 3. Bc4
3... Qh4+ 4. Kf1 b5
5. Bxb5 Nf6 6. Nf3
6... Qh6 7. d3
7... Nh5
8. Nh4 Qg5
9. Nf5 c6
10. g4 Nf6 11. Rg1
11... cxb5?
12. h4!
12... Qg6 13. h5 Qg5 14. Qf3
14... Ng8
15. Bxf4 Qf6 16. Nc3 Bc5
17. Nd5
17... Qxb2
18. Bd6!
18... Bxg1?
19. e5!
19... Qxa1+ 20. Ke2
20... Na6
21. Nxg7+ Kd8 22. Qf6+!
22... Nxf6 23. Be7#
Savielly Tartakower described this as "a beautiful game".