Immortal game
Encyclopedia
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
game played by Adolf Anderssen
Adolf Anderssen
Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen was a German chess master. He is considered to have been the world's leading chess player in the 1850s and 1860s...
and Lionel Kieseritzky
Lionel Kieseritzky
Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky was a 19th-century chess master, famous primarily for a game he lost against Adolf Anderssen, which because of its brilliance was named "The Immortal Game".-Early life:...
on 21 June 1851 in London, during a break of the first international tournament
London 1851 chess tournament
right|thumb|[[Adolf Anderssen]] won both the London International Tournament and the rival London Club 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...
. The very bold sacrifices
Sacrifice (chess)
In chess, a sacrifice is a move giving up a piece in the hopes of gaining tactical or positional compensation in other forms. A sacrifice could also be a deliberate exchange of a chess piece of higher value for an opponent's piece of lower value....
made by Anderssen to finally secure victory have made it one of the most famous chess games of all time. Anderssen gave up both rooks
Rook (chess)
A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
and a bishop, then his queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
, checkmating
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
his opponent with his three remaining minor pieces. It has been called an achievement "perhaps unparalleled in chess literature".
General description
London 1851 chess tournament
right|thumb|[[Adolf Anderssen]] won both the London International Tournament and the rival London Club 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...
. 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
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' masters include, but are not limited to:* Paul Morphy...
in Paris. Kieseritzky was well known for being able to beat lesser players despite handicapping
Chess handicap
A handicap in chess is a way to enable a weaker player to have a chance of winning against a stronger one. There are many kinds of such handicaps, such as material odds, extra moves A handicap (or "odds") in chess is a way to enable a weaker player to have a chance of winning against a stronger...
himself—for example, by playing without his queen.
Played between the two great players at the Simpson's-in-the-Strand
Simpson's-in-the-Strand
Simpson's-in-the-Strand is one of London's oldest traditional English restaurants. Situated in the Strand, it is part of the Savoy Buildings, which also contain one of the world's most famous hotels, the Savoy....
Divan 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
Ernst Falkbeer
Ernst Karl Falkbeer was an Austrian chess master and journalist.-Life and chess career:Born in Brno, Bohemia, Falkbeer moved to Vienna to study law, but ended up becoming a journalist...
.
This game is acclaimed as an excellent demonstration of the style of chess play in the 19th century, where rapid development and attack were considered the most effective way to win, where many gambit
Gambit
A gambit is a chess opening in which a player, most often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position. Some well-known examples are the King's Gambit , Queen's Gambit , and Evans Gambit...
s and counter-gambits were offered (and not accepting them would be considered slightly ungentlemanly), and where material 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 the best by today's standards.
In this game, Anderssen wins despite sacrificing a bishop
Bishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
(on move 11), both rooks (starting on move 18), and the queen (on move 22) to produce checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
. 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
Evergreen game
The Evergreen game is a famous chess game played in Berlin in 1852 between Adolf Anderssen and Jean Dufresne.Adolf Anderssen was one of the strongest players of his time, and was considered by many to be the world champion after winning the London 1851 tournament. Jean Dufresne, a popular author of...
.
The game Friedrich Saemisch–Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch was a Russian-born Danish unofficial chess grandmaster and a very influential chess writer...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
1923, is often called the "Immortal Zugzwang Game
Immortal Zugzwang game
The Immortal Zugzwang Game is a chess game between Friedrich Saemisch and Aron Nimzowitsch, played in Copenhagen 1923. It gained its name because the final position is sometimes considered a rare instance of zugzwang occurring in the middlegame...
" because some consider the final position to be a rare instance of zugzwang
Zugzwang
Zugzwang is a term usually used in chess which also applies to various other games. The term finds its formal definition in combinatorial game theory, and it describes a situation where one player is put at a disadvantage because he has to make a move when he would prefer to pass and make no move...
occurring in the middlegame (for the position see Zugzwang).
Some published versions of the game have errors, as described in the annotations.
The town of Marostica
Marostica
Marostica , is a town and comune in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy. It is mostly famous for its living chess event and for the local cherry variety.-History:...
, Italy has replayed the Immortal Game with live players, dressed as chess pieces, every year from 2 September 1923.
Annotated game
White: Adolf AnderssenAdolf Anderssen
Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen was a German chess master. He is considered to have been the world's leading chess player in the 1850s and 1860s...
(moved first but was playing the black pieces, so is shown here as playing White to match modern conventions regarding White and Black
White and Black in chess
In chess, the player who moves first is referred to as "White" and the player who moves second is referred to as "Black". Similarly, the pieces that each conducts are called, respectively, "the white pieces" and "the black pieces". The pieces are often not literally white and black, but some...
)
Black: Lionel Kieseritzky
Lionel Kieseritzky
Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky was a 19th-century chess master, famous primarily for a game he lost against Adolf Anderssen, which because of its brilliance was named "The Immortal Game".-Early life:...
1. e4 e5 2. f4
- This is the King's GambitKing's GambitThe King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves:White offers a pawn to divert the Black e-pawn so as to build a strong centre with d2–d4...
: Anderssen offers his pawnPawn (chess)The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
in exchange for faster development. Although this was a common opening in the nineteenth century, it is less common today, as defensive techniques have improved since Anderssen's time.
2... exf4
- Kieseritzky accepts the gambit; this variant is thus called the King's Gambit Accepted.
3. Bc4 Qh4+
- The Bishop's Gambit. Black's move will force White to move his kingKing (chess)In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
and White will not be able to castleCastlingCastling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
, but this move also places Black's queen in peril, and White can eventually attack it with gain of tempoTempo (chess)In chess, tempo refers to a "turn" or single move. When a player achieves a desired result in one fewer move, he "gains a tempo" and conversely when he takes one more move than necessary he "loses a tempo"...
with Ng1–f3.
4. Kf1 b5?!
- This is the Bryan Counter-gambit, deeply analysed by Kieseritzky, and which sometimes bears his name. It is not considered a sound move by most players today.
5. Bxb5 Nf6 6. Nf3
- This is a common developing move, but in addition the knightKnight (chess)The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
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 center of the board. German grandmaster Robert HübnerRobert HübnerRobert Hübner is a respected German chess Grandmaster, chess writer, and papyrologist . At eighteen, he was joint winner of the West German Chess Championship...
recommends 7. Nc3 instead.
7... Nh5
- This move threatens Ng3+, and protects the pawn at f4, but it also sidelines the knight to a poor position at the edge of the board, where knights are the least powerful.
8. Nh4 Qg5
- Better was 8...g6, according to Kieseritzky.
9. Nf5 c6
- This simultaneously unpinsPin (chess)In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in which a defending piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable defending piece on its other side to capture by the attacking piece...
the queen pawn and attacks the bishop. However, some have suggested 9...g6 would be better, to deal with a very troublesome knight. Notice how the players of the time developed one or two pieces, then moved them again and again.
10. g4 Nf6 11. Rg1!
- This is an advantageous passive piece sacrifice. If Black accepts, his queen will be moved away from the action, giving White a lead in development.
11... cxb5?
- Hübner believes this was Black's critical mistake; this gains material, 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 counter-attack. This move threatens the black queen and also Nc7+, forkingFork (chess)In chess, a fork is a tactic that uses a single piece to attack multiple pieces at the same time. The attacker usually hopes to gain material by capturing one of the opponent's pieces. The defender often finds himself in a difficult position in which he cannot counter all threats. The attacking...
the king and rook. Richard RétiRichard RétiRéti composed one of the most famous chess studies, shown in this diagram. It was published in Ostrauer Morgenzeitung 4 December 1921. It seems impossible for the white king to catch the advanced black pawn, while the white pawn can be easily stopped by the black king...
recommends 17.d4 followed by 18.Nd5, with advantage to White.
17... Qxb2
- Black gains a pawn, and threatens to gain the rook at a1 with check.
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 commercial version of the chess-playing computer program JuniorJunior (chess)Junior is a computer chess program authored by the Israeli programmers Amir Ban and Shay Bushinsky. Grandmaster Boris Alterman assisted, in particular with the opening book...
recommends 18. Nc7+ followed by Re1. The strongest chess engine Houdini 2.0Houdini (chess)Houdini is a chess engine for Windows, by Belgian programmer Robert Houdart. Free for non-commercial use , later versions are not free. Since the release of version 1.5 on 15 December 2010, it has taken the top spot in every rating list that includes it...
(d=26) suggests the move 18.Be3. The ChessmasterChessmasterChessmaster is a chess playing computer game series which is now owned and developed by Ubisoft. It is the best-selling chess franchise in history, with more than five million units sold .-Timeline:...
computer program annotation says "the main point [of this move] is 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 KasparovGarry KasparovGarry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
has pointed out 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 unusual, because White is willing to give up so much material.
18... Bxg1?
- The move stemming Black's defeat. Wilhelm SteinitzWilhelm SteinitzWilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
suggested in 1879 that a better move would be 18...Qxa1+; likely moves to follow are 19.Ke2 Qb2 20.Kd2 Bxg1.
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: 19.Nxg7+ Kd8 20.Bc7#.
19... Qxa1+ 20. Ke2
- At this point, Black's attack has run out of steam; Black has a queen and bishop on the back rank, but cannot effectively mount an immediate attack on White, while White can storm forward. According to Kieseritzky, he resigned at this point. Hübner notes that an article by Friedrich AmelungFriedrich AmelungFriedrich Ludwig Balthasar Amelung was a Baltic German chess player, endgame composer, and journalist.Amelung was born at Võisiku manor in Governorate of Livonia of the Russian Empire . He played a few games with Adolf Anderssen, Gustav Neumann, Carl Mayet, Emil Schallopp, Andreas Ascharin,...
in the journal Baltische Schachblaetter, 1893, reported that Kiesertizky probably played 20...Na6, but Anderssen then announced the mating moves. 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 the c7 square as White was threatening 21.Nxg7+ Kd8 and 22.Bc7#. Another attempt to defend would be 20...Ba6 allowing the black king to flee via Kc8 and Kb7, 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 Qf7#) 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+!
- This queen sacrificeQueen sacrificeIn chess, a queen sacrifice is a move giving up a queen in return for tactical or positional compensation.-Queen sacrifice: real versus sham:...
forces Black to give up his defense of e7.
22... Nxf6 23. Be7# 1–0
- 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 described this as "a beautiful game".
External links
- Lionel Kieseritzky: La Régence, July 1851
- Kling und Horwitz: The Chess Player, July 1851
- The Immortal Game in portable game notationPortable Game NotationPortable Game Notation is a computer-processible format for recording chess games ; many chess programs recognize this extremely popular format due to its being stored in plain text.-History:...
. (With 18. ... Qxa1+, not 18. ... Bxg1.) - Adolf Anderssen vs Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritsky at chessgames.com