A German mathematics teacher, Anderssen won the first international tournament in London in 1851 and played two of the most famous games in history — the “Immortal Game” and the “Evergreen Game” — full of breathtaking sacrifices.
In the mid-1800s, chess was played for beauty and daring. Players gambited pawns, sacrificed pieces and aimed straight for the king. Anderssen was the greatest artist of this era. He won London 1851 and was widely considered the world’s best player for much of the following decades.
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Immortal and Evergreen
In a casual game against Lionel Kieseritzky in London in 1851, Anderssen sacrificed a bishop, both rooks and his queen before mating with his remaining minor pieces. The game was nicknamed the Immortal Game. A year later he played the Evergreen Game against Jean Dufresne, another stunning combination. Both are still among the most replayed games of all time.
Did you know?
♞Fact #1Tap to revealIn the Immortal Game Anderssen gave up his queen and both rooks — and won.
♝Fact #2Tap to revealHe was a mathematics teacher by profession.
Three lessons from Anderssen for your own games
1Development and initiative can outweigh material
2Look for forcing moves near the enemy king
3Beauty in chess comes from precise calculation
Adolf Anderssen’s games
Watch the featured game replay itself, or pick any game below. Every game opens move by move with engine analysis.