chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing
Adolf Anderssen vs Lionel Kieseritzky
"London Bridges Falling Down" (game of the day Aug-02-2004)
London (1851), London ENG
King's Gambit: Accepted. Bishop's Gambit Bryan Countergambit (C33)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Click Here to play Guess-the-Move
Given 55 times; par: 61 [what's this?]

explore this opening
find similar games 14 more Anderssen/Kieseritzky games
+ sac: 17.Nxg5 PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

TIP: You can get computer analysis by clicking the "ENGINE" button below the game.

PGN Viewer:  What is this?
For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.
PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

A COMPUTER ANNOTATED SCORE OF THIS GAME IS AVAILABLE.  [CLICK HERE]

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Aug-02-04  acirce: It's simple - poorly with today's standards, not with their time's. It's not their fault that they couldn't reach higher in 1851.
Aug-02-04  Calchexas: <kevin86> But of course mistakes are part of any kind of art! (Well, technically, a 0-move draw and the 'blank canvas' have no mistakes, but those are trivial exceptions.) Without them, it wouldn't be "art."
Aug-03-04  acirce: Wouldn't 15..Bg4 have given Black a very big advantage - perhaps already decisive?
Aug-03-04  kevin86: <Calchexas> Of course,I mean any kind of art-that's why I brought up painting. Art is in the perception of the beholder;its tastes are more distinct than fingerprints. Zero move draws and blank canvas to some are art and to others a waste of time (or no time).
Aug-04-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: <acirce> 15...Bg4 is an interesting move. Black is probably better after 16.exf6 Nxf6 17.Nc3 Qh5, but position is still quite complex.
Aug-16-04  OneArmedScissor: <White Pawn>
It just seems like the attacks were way too outlandish, etc. with no regards to position. Maybe I'm forgetting that this is the time period when positional play didn't exist =P
Aug-22-04  patzer2: I believe <acirce> is correct in suggesting 15...Bg4! would turn the tables in this game. I played it out with Fritz 8 on infinite analysis, and though the variations are complicated I believe Black has a forced win.

The initial variation as pointed out by <Honza Cervenka> goes 15...Bg4! 16.exf6 Nxf6 17.Nc3 Qh5!

Forcing play continues 18. Be2 fxg3 19. Rxg3 (19. hxg3 Nbd7 ) 19...Bd6! 20. Ne5 Qxh2 21. Qd3! Bxe2 22. Rxg5+ Kh8 23. Qxe2 Qh1+ 24. Kd2 Nbd7! and now Fritz 8 assesses a win for Black @ -2.06 pawns @ 12 depth & 1276kN/s.

Play could continue 25. Qe1 Qh3 26. Qg3 Qxg3 27. Rxg3 Nxe5 28. dxe5 Bxe5 29. Rh3 Rae8 (-2.87 pawns @ 13 depth & 1298kN/s). The win will require strong technique. However, with more active pieces, the initiative, a space advantage and two potential passed pawns, Black should win.

Aug-31-05  molle2006: Well, that's the style how they used to play in those days. Start off with Kings Gambit Accepted or maybe Evans Gambit or Vienna and then just throw everything into the battle. Anderssen didn't care about things like his pawn structure, in many games he didn't even castle. In the base you can also find a couple of games where he was sacrificing one piece after another to end up in a lost endgame. Remember that in those days many players earned their money by sitting in a cafĂ© and playing against everybody who is paying enough. OK, Andersson was a professor, but many others like Steinitz did so. And so they wanted to play entertaining chess and not just win by positional means in a 'boring' pawn endgame.
Aug-31-05  Boomie: Morphy was the father of positional play, for example driving home the importance of early castling. Although he played the same openings as these two great players and perhaps could not calculate any better or worse than them, his edge was his great feeling for the demands of the position. Plus he worked very hard on his game. See his annotations to the LaBourdennaise-McDonnell match.
Nov-07-05  Averageguy: I used to live in Haringay! Actually I live in (on?) Muswell Hill which is in the bourrough (spelling?) of Haringay.
Aug-08-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: <Boomie: Morphy was the father of positional play> I don't think so. First of all, chess masters long before Morphy were well aware of different positional factors and some of them were rather positional players than anything else (For example Staunton). If positional play has any single father, then probably Philidor can be the hottest candidate. On the other hand, Morphy was natural genius with acute combinative insight who perfectly handled the play in open positions according to principles which are generally operative even today, but in closed or semi-closed positions he was not so great (though he could have improved with growing experience if he would have continued in his brief chess career after famous tour in France and England) and some of his contamporaries were still better on this field. Btw, also Anderssen had some fine positional performances in his career.
Nov-06-07  nimh: Rybka 2.4 mp, AMD X2 2.01GHz, 10 min per move, threshold 0.33.

Anderssen 7 mistakes:
10.Ne2 0.41 (10.d5 0.90)
11.e5 -0.36 (11.g3 0.28)
14.Ke1 -0.48 (14.g4 0.22)
15.g3 -1.41 (15.g4 0.00)
18.Nf5 0.05 (18.Ne6 1.30)
20.Bxg5 1.27 (20.Nf5+ 3.28)
36.Rg8 5.96 (36.Rgh4 9.04)

Kieseritsky 11 mistakes:
8...d6 0.44 (8...Be7 0.04)
9...Nh5 0.90 (9...Nbd7 0.48)
12...0-0 0.23 (12...g5 -0.12)
14...f6 0.00 (14...g4 -0.48)
15...fxg3 0.00 (15...Bg4 -1.41)
16...Bg4 1.30 (16...Ng7 0.00)
18...fxg5 2.81 (18...Bb4+ 0.05)
25...Rf4 3.91 (25...Nf4 1.35)
33...Bd8+ 5.25 (33...Rxg4 4.10)
35...Bb6 9.04 (35...Bg5 6.17)
37...Nef4 #14 (37...Bc5 6.75)

Nov-01-08  Fanacas: The first great postitinal player was steinitz and he first introduced it 2 the world it may look that some players before him have positinal play but it also looks that way if you look at a amteurs game(not to compare the old masters 2 a amateur they are much stronger) it looks that way but they had no knowloge about it.
Apr-12-09  WhiteRook48: 39. Rxh5+!!
Jul-07-09  heuristic: besides 15...Bg4;
15...fxe5 16.Nxe5 f3 17.Nf4 f2+ 18.Kxf2 is good for BLK
May-04-10  zev22407: One has to be careful ,if 39)e7-e8-Q??
N-c5!#
Jul-12-10  soothsayer8: 17. Nxg5! was definitely a great move, but also a bit mishandled by Kieseritsky with 18...fxg5? giving Anderssen that passed pawn on e5 which ultimately proved fatal for black. 18...Qxg5 would have been advised, though white would still have the superior position.

About the origin of positional play, I think Steinitz was perhaps the first played to prefer positional play and suggest it as an improved way of playing chess, he was also the best at it in his time, this is why I'd say he was the father of modern, positional chess, even though positional games were clearly already being played, this game, for example. Morphy did not champion positional chess, he preferred quick, attacking chess, but he knew better than anyone when to attack and how to set up an attack (development).

Jul-13-12  vinidivici: whats up with 21...Kg6 ?
Jul-13-12  vinidivici: what about it..?
Jan-17-20  gambitfan: needs work !
Jan-17-20  gambitfan: needs work again ! 45/58
Jan-17-20  gambitfan: 69/58/good
Jan-17-20  gambitfan: 102/59 outstanding
Jan-17-20  gambitfan: 106/60 outstanding
Aug-03-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  fredthebear: Adolph Anderssen ruled the first international chess tournament in London, 1851. http://gambiter.com/chess/tournamen...
search thread:   
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.

<This page contains Editor Notes. Click here to read them.>

Featured in the Following Game Collections[what is this?]
derbyc's favorite games
by derbyc
Wild Games
by williscreek
arwen's favorite games
by arwen
maxruen's favorite games II
by maxruen
Adolf's combination
from Turn of the Century e4 by matrix
blackkangaroo's favorite games
by blackkangaroo
Anderssen, KGA
from All games have something interesting .... by arielbekarov
A vs K-immortal game part two?
from kevin86's favorite games part 2 by kevin86
london bridges falling down (gotd)
from collection #2 by pixing
8/2/2004
from Game of the day. and/or puzzle of the day. by athyn
15...Bg4!! turns the tables for a Black winning advantage
from Defensive Combinations by patzer2
17. Nxg5!! Bxe1 18. Ne6!! & crank up the computer
from Queen Sacrifices by patzer2
King John 5's favorite games
by King John 5
anderssen 3
from great attack games by emilio martinez
kieseritsky has a very long name.
from AniamL's favorite games by AniamL
Selected 19th century games
by atrifix
bishop gambit, with white king march and white p promo
from KGA- Bishop Gambit by takattack
August 2: London Bridges Falling Down
from Game of the Day 2004 by Phony Benoni
chrisrout78's favorite games
by chrisrout78
17.5% - 28.2%
from Blunderchecked games II by nimh
plus 48 more collections (not shown)

Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2023, Chessgames Services LLC