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Adolf Anderssen
Anderssen 
 

Number of games in database: 837
Years covered: 1844 to 1878
Overall record: +428 -322 =72 (56.4%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 15 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Evans Gambit (106) 
    C51 C52
 King's Gambit Accepted (98) 
    C39 C33 C38 C37 C34
 Ruy Lopez (47) 
    C77 C65 C70 C61 C60
 French Defense (27) 
    C01 C13 C11 C14 C10
 Sicilian (23) 
    B20 B21 B45 B32 B43
 Two Knights (16) 
    C59 C58 C55 C57 C56
With the Black pieces:
 King's Gambit Accepted (95) 
    C33 C37 C39 C38
 Ruy Lopez (68) 
    C65 C67 C60 C77 C64
 Evans Gambit (64) 
    C52 C51
 Giuoco Piano (47) 
    C54 C50 C53
 Sicilian (35) 
    B40 B23 B20 B44 B46
 King's Pawn Game (24) 
    C44 C20 C40
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Anderssen vs Kieseritzky, 1851 1-0
   Anderssen vs Dufresne, 1852 1-0
   J Rosanes vs Anderssen, 1863 0-1
   Anderssen vs Zukertort, 1869 1-0
   C Mayet vs Anderssen, 1851 0-1
   J Rosanes vs Anderssen, 1862 0-1
   Anderssen vs Zukertort, 1865 1-0
   Anderssen vs B Suhle, 1860 1-0
   Anderssen vs E Schallopp, 1864 1-0
   Anderssen vs Paulsen, 1873 1-0

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   London Chess Club Invitational (1851)
   London (1851)
   5th BCA Congress, London (1862)
   Anderssen - Kolisch (1861)
   Anderssen - Paulsen (1862)
   7th WSB Congress, Aachen (1868)
   2nd NSB Congress, Hamburg (1869)
   Baden-Baden (1870)
   Anderssen - Harrwitz (1848)
   Anderssen - Steinitz (1866)
   8th WSB Congress, Barmen (1869)
   Anderssen - Paulsen (1877)
   Leipzig (1877)
   Vienna (1873)
   Paris (1878)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   19sp Anderssen - Blackburne - Charousek by Littlejohn
   19sp Anderssen - Blackburne - Charousek by Goatsrocknroll23
   Match Anderssen! by amadeus
   Match Anderssen! by chessgain
   1851 Beyond London Phil Max Isa by fredthebear
   vaskolon's with sacrifices Mr. ANDERSSON by vaskolon
   xOlde Kings ande theur Gamebits by fredthebear
   Kings Gambit by Nodreads
   vaskolon's PAUL MORPHY'S GAMES by vaskolon
   The Chess Champions (Romantic Era) by Owl
   vaskolon's favorite games by vaskolon
   Anderssen, Blackburne, Charousek by monet11
   Capn's Crunch Munched by Fredthebear by fredthebear
   attack_1900 by plerranov


Search Sacrifice Explorer for Adolf Anderssen
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ADOLF ANDERSSEN
(born Jul-06-1818, died Mar-13-1879, 60 years old) Germany

[what is this?]

Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen was born in Breslau. He was one of the strongest players of his day and was regarded by some to be the World Champion after his victory in the London (1851) tournament.1,2 He lost this honor in the Anderssen - Morphy (1858) match. One year later, however, Paul Morphy retired from international chess, and Anderssen was able to regain his reputation as the world's leading player, drawing Ignatz von Kolisch in Paris 1860 (+5 -5 =1),3 and winning the Anderssen - Kolisch (1861) match in London (+4 -3 =2). Anderssen also won the London International 1862 over Louis Paulsen, who finished second.2 He subsequently drew him in the Anderssen - Paulsen Match (1862) match (+3 -3 =2). In 1866, Anderssen narrowly lost a match with Wilhelm Steinitz (+6 -8 =0). He scored his final great success by winning the Baden-Baden (1870) tournament, ahead of Steinitz and Joseph Henry Blackburne. 4

Anderssen is regarded as the quintessential Romantic, and his sacrificial brilliancies such as The Immortal Game (Anderssen vs Kieseritzky, 1851) and The Evergreen Game (Anderssen vs Dufresne, 1852) have stood the test of time.

However, Willy Hendriks in his book "The Ink Wars" argues that this view of Anderssen is too simplistic, and that games like "his very modern Sicilian victory" in Blackburne vs Anderssen, 1878 deserve more attention. Anderssen and Howard Staunton were two of the earliest champions of the Sicilian Defense. In his match against Morphy, he even originated Anderssen's Opening (1.a3) as a way of reaching the Sicilian with colors reversed (1.a3 e5 2.c4), with which he scored 1 1/2 out of 3 against Morphy.

Anderssen died of a heart attack at age 60. During World War II, bombing raids on his hometown damaged his grave.

Anderssen also played consultation chess on the teams of Adolf Anderssen / Johannes Zukertort / Dr C. Schmid, Adolf Anderssen / Allies, Anderssen / Stern, Anderssen / Goering / Allies & Adolf Anderssen / Bernhard Horwitz / Josef Kling.

Notes:

1 Wikipedia article: Adolf Anderssen

2 http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/v1l...

3 http://www.365chess.com/tournaments...

4 http://www.endgame.nl/bad1870.htm

Last updated: 2023-01-25 08:20:57

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 34; games 1-25 of 837  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. H Seligo vs Anderssen 1-0281844BreslauC26 Vienna
2. von der Lasa vs Anderssen 1-0211845BreslauC44 King's Pawn Game
3. Anderssen vs von der Lasa 0-1321845BreslauC38 King's Gambit Accepted
4. von der Lasa vs Anderssen 1-0481845BreslauC39 King's Gambit Accepted
5. Anderssen vs von der Lasa 1-0291845BreslauB01 Scandinavian
6. Anderssen vs von der Lasa 0-1281846BreslauC37 King's Gambit Accepted
7. von der Lasa vs Anderssen 0-1201846BreslauB21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
8. Anderssen vs Harrwitz 0-1301848Anderssen - HarrwitzB21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
9. Harrwitz vs Anderssen 0-1361848Anderssen - HarrwitzC33 King's Gambit Accepted
10. Harrwitz vs Anderssen 1-0321848Anderssen - HarrwitzC44 King's Pawn Game
11. Harrwitz vs Anderssen 0-1261848Anderssen - HarrwitzC33 King's Gambit Accepted
12. Anderssen vs Harrwitz 1-0281848Anderssen - HarrwitzB21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
13. Anderssen vs Harrwitz 0-1341848Anderssen - HarrwitzD32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
14. Harrwitz vs Anderssen 0-1501848Anderssen - HarrwitzC33 King's Gambit Accepted
15. Anderssen vs Harrwitz 1-0371848Anderssen - HarrwitzC54 Giuoco Piano
16. Harrwitz vs Anderssen 0-1381848Blindfold exhibition gameC39 King's Gambit Accepted
17. Anderssen vs Harrwitz 0-1551848Anderssen - HarrwitzC01 French, Exchange
18. Harrwitz vs Anderssen 1-0171848Anderssen - HarrwitzC33 King's Gambit Accepted
19. Salpius vs Anderssen 1-0371849BerlinC52 Evans Gambit
20. Anderssen vs J Schlesinger 0-1301849Double blindfold gameC02 French, Advance
21. N D Nathan vs Anderssen 0-1221850Casual gameC39 King's Gambit Accepted
22. Dufresne vs Anderssen 1-0351851Casual gameC52 Evans Gambit
23. Anderssen vs Lowenthal 1-0201851Casual gameC33 King's Gambit Accepted
24. Anderssen vs Horwitz ½-½321851London Chess Club InvitationalC33 King's Gambit Accepted
25. Dufresne vs Anderssen 0-1241851Casual gameC37 King's Gambit Accepted
 page 1 of 34; games 1-25 of 837  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Anderssen wins | Anderssen loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 5 OF 9 ·  Later Kibitzing>
May-16-08  Knight13: Chessmetrics Player Profile: Adolf Anderssen
Born: 1818-Jul
Died: 1879-Mar

Best World Rank: #1 (7 different months between the December 1861 rating list and the August 1870 rating list )

Highest Rating: 2744 on the August 1870 rating list, #1 in world, age 52y1m

Best Individual Performance: 2724 in Baden-Baden, 1870, scoring 11/16 (69%) vs 2611-rated opposition

Jun-28-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  BishopBerkeley: I see that Google Books has provided us with a collection of Chess puzzles published by Adolf Anderssen:

http://tinyurl.com/56zk92

You can download the whole book as a PDF file for free if you wish (it is in the public domain). I did this myself, and the download worked nicely. There is a handwritten inscription visible in this copy from 1915. The volume apparently belongs to the New York Public Library.

And here is a copy of "Neue Berliner Schachzeitung", a publication of Herr Anderssen and Herr Johannes Zukertort :

http://tinyurl.com/4qm4yn

And here are a number of other works bearing Herr Anderssen's name:

http://tinyurl.com/3uylj6

((I wonder if Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen is Herr Anderssen himself, or perhaps a relative?)

(: ♗ Bishop Berkeley ♗ :)

Jul-06-08  offtherook: I've always found Anderssen's games inspiring, largely because I enjoy playing completely unsound chess. It's much more fun.
Jul-06-08  brankat: R.I.P. in Chess Haven Master Anderssen!
Jul-06-08  Voltaic: i can't think of chess without Anderssen, it's like if his existence was necessary to define the game, with his amazing dazzling sacrifices he gave the board so much joy and excitement. he had a natural boldness, and baldness, but out of the board he was a kind person and a true gentleman, chess history will always remember him as the man who accepted without hesitation Morphy's challenge, not like Staunton who dodged the young American as the pest. may Anderssen be checkmating everyone with knights and bishops in heaven :)
Jul-06-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  ketchuplover: wishing herr anderssen an immortal birthday
Sep-01-08  myschkin: . . .

Photograph: http://xoomer.alice.it/cserica/scac...

Sep-12-08  Fanacas: Anderssen probaly played a3 to play in reversed colors so that he would play as black with the white piece's.
Dec-21-08  WhiteRook48: What if his opponent played ...a6?
Anderssen- the immortal winner :)

Dec-22-08  WhiteRook48: 1. a3- a pass move. But Black can copy anyhow in the opening. Even with pass moves like 1. a3, Black can copy 1...a6. And Anderssen AND his opponent passed for first move. ????
Dec-22-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  stoy: When Adolf Anderssen died it was written in an obituary by Potter that Anderssen considered all chessplayers to be his friends!
Dec-24-08  WhiteRook48: stupidest opening is 1. f4!! (suicidal game)
Black plays 1...e6
White plays 2. g4!! (The true king's gambit)
2...Qh4#
gambit accepted.
Bound to be a dumber opening than 1. a3
Feb-14-09  WhiteRook48: no, the dumbest opening is 1. f3 a5 2. Kf2 d5 3. Kg3 h5 4. Kh4
Feb-25-09  vonKrolock: Adolf Anderssen
"Illustrated London News" 1846


click for larger view

#5 white to play an mate in five moves

Feb-28-09  WhiteRook48: let's see. I am currently thinking along the lines of 1. b4+ Ka4, but I don't think it's getting anywhere
Mar-01-09  vonKrolock: The key is not that difficult, as e1=♕ is quite serious a threat... By the way, i posted this also to show that the idea in a threemover posted Feb 25 here Kamsky vs Topalov, 2009 was originally showed by Anderssen - as You can observe, Nigel Short shows there the solution and comment on a try
Mar-01-09  WhiteRook48: maybe 1. Rxb5+ would work, but...
Mar-01-09  vonKrolock: I took the diagram from a book published before 1914 - it can be still computer tested ;)
Mar-08-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  BishopBerkeley: Adolf Anderssen's gravesite:

http://tinyurl.com/au2wtb

Another view:

http://www.zck.wroc.pl/go/uploads/p...

(: ♗ Bishop Berkeley ♗ :)

Mar-19-09  gauer: <vonKrolock> 1 Qe1 (blockading e1), with threat(s) 2 Rd4, else 2 Qxd2#. Many times, white continues with 3 Ra4 BxR 4 b4 QxP 5 PxQ# or similar.

Some examples of Pawns exerting their grip for extra space follows: McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834 , Morphy vs S Boden, 1858 , F J Lee vs H Shoosmith, 1904 , K Kokolias vs F Sigalas, 2005 , Janowski vs Ed Lasker, 1924 , Pillsbury vs Gunsberg, 1895 , Pillsbury vs Schiffers, 1898 , Philidor vs NN, 1749 , Anderssen vs Steinitz, 1873 , Bogoljubov vs Mieses, 1925 , Kudrin vs R Douven, 1989 .

Surely, there's many other great examples to stop these soldiers from rolling forth!

Finally, another puzzle from Anderssen, unrelated, except being that of the same Composer. White plays, checkmating in three moves:


click for larger view

Hint: how can white force black to capture a pass, as in one of the similar themes to one of the games mentioned above?

Jun-12-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  James Demery: Not too many draws. This guy either won or lost.
Jun-26-09  visayanbraindoctor: It's interesting that Anderssen started playing competitive chess in the 1840s. 70 years later, by the 1910s (with the presence of Lasker, Capablanca, and Alekhine) the top chess masters were playing middle games and endgames at a similar level as today's top GMs.

Perhaps somewhere there is an alternate Earth where players like Anderssen only started playing chess in the 1940s, after WW2. Then by now near 2010, about 70 years later, players of the caliber of Lasker, Capablanca, and Alekhine start dominating, bringing chess to the high limit that the brain allows humans to play it. Since no one can play as good as computers, the quality of the the best games levels off at this limit, and from then on, there would be a few top masters who would play at this limit every one or two generations.

(Until some future society manages to hard-wire the human brain so that it can play as well as computers..)

Jul-06-09  brankat: R.I.P. Master Anderssen.
Jul-06-09  wordfunph: When Wilhelm Steinitz played Adolf Anderssen in an 1870 match, all 14 games were decisive. Steinitz won with a score of +8,-6.

Happy Birthday Adolf Anderssen!

Aug-28-09  akapovsky: anderssen sometimes played like a world champion but at times like a 1200 elo,neglecting develpment and king safety,but he remained true to himself "attack always attack"
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