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Annotated Game

Anderssen,A - Kieseritzky,L
London, 1851

with notes by Leopold Lacrimosa
Chess Coach, Martial Arts Sensei,
and Editor for The Chess Scholar
the official magazine of the ASCF
(American Scholastic Chess Federation)

This is one of the most famous games of all time.  Here is some of what Wikipedia has to say about it:

"Adolf Anderssen was one of the strongest players of his time, and was considered by many to be the world champion after winning the 1851 London 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 Regence in Paris.  Kieseritzky was well known for being able to beat lesser players despite handicapping himself - by playing without his queen, for example.

The immortal game was an informal one, played between these two great players at the Simpson's-in-the-Strand Divan in London.  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 Regence published the game in July 1851.  This game was later nicknamed "The Immortal Game" in 1855 by the Austrian Ernst Falkbeer.
 


Lionel Kieseritzky
This game is acclaimed as an excellent demonstration of the style of chess play in the 1800s, where rapid development and attack were considered the most effective way to win, where many gambits 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."

Enjoy this fantastic game and the very instructive notes by Chess Coach Leopold Lacrimosa - you just might learn something while you're at it!

1.e4








This is considered the main opening for the majority of GMs:

  • The most notable attribute of 1.e4 is that it commences an immediate fight for the center. - About.com

  • And it frees two pieces (the Queen and a Bishop.) - David A. Wheeler

  • When the men are first arranged in battle order, it is seen that the only Pieces which have the power of moving are the Knights, and that to liberate the others it is indispensably necessary to move a Pawn. Now as the King's Pawn, on being moved, gives freedom both to the Queen and to the King's Bishop, it is more frequently played at the beginning of the game than any other. - The Chess- Player's Handbook

  • "Best by test." - World Champion Robert J. (Bobby) Fischer in My 60 Memorable Games

  • An excellent chess opening move, and one that has been played with success by beginners and Grandmasters throughout chess history! - IM Andrew Martin

1...e5

Black meets White's centralization of a pawn with one of his own.

2.f4








The King's Gambit.  White offers up the f-pawn in exchange for fast development, control over the centre and an attack on f7.  It was played as long ago as the sixteenth century and is included in Polerio's manuscript.

2...exf4

Black takes up White's offer by accepting the the free pawn.

3.Bc4








The King's Bishop Opening.  In this opening when White doesn't play 3.Nf3, he allows Black to get in 3...Qh4+, but the check is considered double-edged since Black may lose time in retreating the queen in some lines.

3...Qh4+

Black forsakes the principal "Knights and Bishops before the Queen and Rooks," for an early check.

4.Kf1

If 4.g3, than 4...fxg3!

4...b5?!








This is the Bryan Gambit, named for Thomas Jefferson Bryan.  It is not considered a sound move by modern players.  The idea is to return the pawn by forcing White's bishop off the a2-g8 diagonal where it can easily be attacked a second time with a timely c6.  Mainline is 4...d5 5.Bxd5 Bd6.

5.Bxb5 Nf6

Development of pieces are paramount for both sides.

6.Nf3








White attacks Black's queen.

6...Qh6

The second move for the queen keeps Black from developing another piece.

7.d3

Protecting the e-pawn as well as setting up an attack on f4.

7...Nh5








The knight moves to protect the f-pawn.  Better would be to develop the bishop to e7.

8.Nh4

The white knight heads for the outpost square on f5.

8...Qg5








The Queen moves to avoid the coming attack by the knight.  At this point, Black's queen has now made three moves in the opening phase of the game.

9.Nf5! c6?!








Black now attacks the bishop, but I don't like this move.  The idea is to support the pawn push to d5.  The problem is that ...c6 takes away the strong space for Black's knight on b8.

10.g4

Piece attack and Black cannot take en passant due to his queen's vulnerable position.

10...Nf6

Black's knight has now moved three times in the opening.  Black is three tempos behind.

11.Rg1!








White protects the g-pawn while leaving his bishop en prise.

11...cxb5

Piece capture. White loses his bishop, but for what compensation?  We shall see further down the line as White is now a bishop and a pawn down.

12.h4

An attack on Black's queen.

12...Qg6








The fourth move of the queen.

13.h5 Qg5

Black's queen has moved a total of five times while White has gained space on the king-side.  Tempo count stands as follows White: 10 Tempi; Black: 5 Tempi.

14.Qf3

Double attack on the f-pawn.  White has two threats: first, bishop captures f5 attacking the queen which has no where to retreat to; second, to push e5 attacking the knight, the only other developed piece Black has out besides his queen.

14...Ng8








Black takes care of both threats by un-developing his knight.  He has now moved the knight a total of four times and it has gone absolutely nowhere.  Tempo count now stands at White: 11; Black: 4.

15.Bxf4

The bishop captures the pawn forcing Black's queen to move for the sixth time.

15...Qf6 16.Nc3

White develops another piece now that his king-side is secure.

16...Bc5








Black develops a piece with an attack on White's rook.

17.Nd5!

White ignores the piece attack with an attack of his own on Black's hapless queen as well as threatening to fork the king and rook on c7.

17...Qxb2








Black has captured the pawn giving him an attack on White's other rook.

18.Bd6!!

White can afford to be careless of his rooks as his minor pieces begin to surround the Black monarch, trying to catch it in a matting net.

18...Qxa1+








Black cannot take the bishop as it would lead to mate by 18...Bxd6 19.Nxd6+ Kd8 20.Nxf7+ Ke8 21.Nd6+ Kd8 22.Qf8# mate.  Instead Black captures the rook giving him an eight point lead in material.

19.Ke2 Bxg1








Black has now captured the other rook giving him an eleven point lead in material advantage.  Yet it is White who has more space, control of the centre and is nine tempi ahead of Black.  On top of that, even though Black's two developed pieces have infiltrated into White's back rank, neither one of them have any real scope of attacking White's king.

20.e5!!

White's pawn move cuts off Black's queen from returning to help its troubled king.

20...Na6