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The Immortal Game

The Immortal Game

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               The Immortal Game

Today I will be starting a new series. The new series will be called...

                                 The Immortal ____________

This series will be on different chess games, swindles, draws and more! I hope you will enjoy this series.

What is the Immortal Game?

The Immortal Game was played during the romantic era of chess. What was the Romantic Era of chess? It was the period between 1800 and 1900 when players relied mainly on sharp edged sacrifices, extremely dynamic play, and tactics  to hopefully win the game. It was played on June 21 1851 in London during a round break in the first international tournament. It was played between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky. This game is one of the most famous chess games of all time. Adolf Anderssen sacrifices his queen both his rooks and his bishop!

Meet the Players                                                                                                  

Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (July 6, 1818 – March 13, 1879) was a German Chess master. He was probably the leading active player from 1851 to 1858 and from 1862 to 1866. He won many tournaments such as the international tournaments of the year this game was played and 1862.

Anderssen won over half the tournaments all over Europe that he entered in! He was an amazing chess player mostly known for his sacrificial play. Here is one of his games vs. Blackburne.

                              

                                           

Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky: (Unknown)was a French chess master. (sorry the picture above is the only known image of him.) He was also a quite good pianist. He is most remembered for being on the wrong end of The Immortal Game, and losing to every single good player. (That is not even true.) A few even called him the Immortal Loser. He often played for money at Napoleons old haunt and where Phildor learned to play the Cafe La Régence. He later published a magazine called La Régence. This magazine was light on talk and heavy on games. And on the note of games lets look at one of his games.

Lionel Kieseritzky was a great chess player right behind Saint-Amante for France. Even through all of that he was often criticized by others. Here is a short quote by Stanton.
With all his fine genius and extraordinary knowledge of the game, Kieseritzky was the most wayward and crotchety of players. It was this and his constitutional timidity, perhaps, which prevented his occupying the highest place amongst the chess masters of the day. In his Openings he delighted in all sorts of odd, out-of-the-way manoeuvring. In his End-games, when the road to victory lay plain and direct before him, he would turn aside, as if from sheer wantonness, and lose himself in some inextricable maze, while his opponent took time and heart and reached the long-despaired-of goal. These eccentricities have been set down to an obliquity of mind. I am disposed to attribute them in part, at least, to another cause. He entertained a great repugnance to giving odds, and as his opponents were, for the most part, immeasurably inferior to him both in skill and bookish lore, he could of course afford, when playing "even" with them, to risk a good deal. Of what import was the loss of a few moves or of two or three Pawns to one who felt he was a Rook stronger than his adversary? It was thus probably that he acquired that fondness for rash attacks, and whimsical defences, which injured his game and told against him so terribly when he came to cope with men of mettle like his own.  - Howard Stanton, "Chess Praxis"

Fun Fact: He was probably a better chess player than Anderssen. Their match score was 8-7.

The Game:

Now we are finally ready for actually talking about The Game. This game is especially liked because of Adolf Anderssens sacrificial play.

Lets get into it!

1. e4 e5 2.f4 

The Kings Gambit. This opening was very popular in the 19th century. White hopes that they will take and he gets a big center with his e and d pawns.

2...exf4 

Black accepts the pawn. He could have declined with either 2...d5, and 2...Bc5 as the most popular choices.

3. Bc4

More often Nf3 is played here to stop Qh4+.

3...Qh4+ 4.Kf1

He played it! 

Time out!

In the Time Out section we back up and take a closer look at the game on a real board.

In the time out section we look at the position on a real chess board.

                                                                                   

I would personally say that black is actually doing a little better. I am mostly saying this because of the fact that now they can not castle. If I was watching this game at the Cafe La Régence than I would have probably thought Anderssen was doing better most likely. Unfortunately I know how this game ended and may be slightly biased. Ok lets go back to the actual game.

4...b5

At first this move may look strange, but once you look closer you may see that the main point is to get their bishop off the f7 diagonal.

5.Bxb5

Capturing the pawn, a momentary victory for black.

5...Nf6 

Probably the best move, attacking the pawn.

6. Nc3

The best move. Kicking the queen.

 6...Qh6

The queen moves.

7.d3

Maybe some tricks on the newly-opened file.

Time Out:

                                                             

This is an extremely original position and white is probably doing a little bit better. Both the kings are in the center but white is poised for the attack

7...Nh5

Not thinking about the rule that a knight on the rim is dim Black threatens to play Ng3+ winning an exchange because the pawn can not take back.

8.Nh4

This stops the threat as the pawn is no longer pinned. Maybe a little better would have been Ra7.

8...Qg5

The queen slides down to attack the knight.

9.Nf5

The knight moves to where it is protected by the pawn.

9...c6

Kicking the bishop.

10.g4

Defending the knight again

10...Nf6

Bringing the knight back

11. Rg1

He is sacrificing the bishop so he can gain the initiative and take advantage of the poor placement of the black queen.

Time Out:

Now the white pieces are swarming into the attack, coming for the king. Black is going to have to work very hard to not be checkmated. Or will he be checkmated? Ok back to the game.

11... cxb5

Capturing the sacrificed piece.

12. h4

Kicking the queen, This structure is very interesting.

12... Qg6

The queen moves back.

13. h5

This queen is very squashed.

13... Qg5

The queen moves back from where it came.

14. Qf3 

Attacking the f4 pawn with two pieces.

14... Ng8

Moving the knight back. Why did he do that?

15.Bxf4

Taking the pawn. Probably the best move.

15... Qf6

Moving the queen back.

16. Nc3

White has just finished developing their minors while Black on the other hand has not developed any of their minors.

16... Bc5

Developing their bishop and attacking the rook.

Time Out:

This is a very interesting posistion where White is probably winning. Their pieces are swarming in for attack.

17. Nd5?!

He doesn't even move his rook he just brings another piece in to the attack!!!!!!!

17... Qxb2 

Now both rooks are attacked by white!

18. Bd6 

They are sacrificing so many pieces, not even saving the rook! White is making a mating net slowly but surely.

18... Bxg1

Taking the first rook.

19. e5

Now a white pawn joins the attack.

19... Qxa1

Taking the second rook with check.

20. Ke2

Moving the king out of check.

20... Na6

Now there's a forced mate in three. Can you find it?

Did you find it? I think you did. But in case you didn't here is the rest of the moves. 

21. Nxg7+

The first move in the mating combination.

21... Kd8

The only move for the king.

22. Qf6+

Typically Anderssen sacrificing a queen!happy.png

22... Nxf6

Kieseritzky is being kind he could have done Ne7 and the mate would not have been as cool.

23.Be7#

And we have mate!

                                             

Please tell me your thoughts on the game in the comments below.

Final Thoughts:

In this game we have seen an incredible game with an cool checkmate at the very end. And we have learned that players in the 1850s could still play very good chess. Lets look at the complete game.

And here is the PGN from the game.

[Event "London"]
[Site "London ENG"]
[Date "1851.06.21"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Adolf Anderssen"]
[Black "Lionel Adalbert Bagration Fel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C33"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1851.??.??"]
[WhiteElo ""]
[BlackElo ""]

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Qh4+ 4.Kf1 b5 5.Bxb5 Nf6 6.Nf3 Qh6 7.d3 Nh5 8.Nh4 Qg5 9.Nf5 c6 10.g4 Nf6 11.Rg1 cxb5 12.h4 Qg6 13.h5 Qg5 14.Qf3 Ng8 15.Bxf4 Qf6 16.Nc3 Bc5 17.Nd5 Qxb2 18.Bd6 Bxg1 19.e5 Qxa1+ 20.Ke2 Na6 21.Nxg7+ Kd8 22.Qf6+ Nxf6 23.Be7# 1-0

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