The Business of Chess

Ignatz Kolisch was, according to historical calculations from Chessmetrics, the number one chess player in the world from 1867-1868. Although he did not frequently play in tournaments, he was known for his aggressive style, which often produced some brilliant games. Kolisch was probably more successful, however, as a businessman. A former private secretary of the Russian Prince Urusov, he later went into banking and became a millionaire.

Here is a brilliant win of his over the great Adolf Anderssen, played during an 1861 match. Anderssen was famous for games in which he sacrificed in nearly all of his pieces, such as the Immortal and Evergreen games. Here, Ignatz gives his opponent a taste of his own medicine. A series of brilliant sacs gives him an overwhelming material advantage. It helped him to keep the match close (he ended up losing by one point).