Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Immortal Game
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
== Annotated game == White: Adolf Anderssen{{efn|Among the historical sources, there is some confusion as to who used the white pieces, and who used the black pieces.<ref name="winter" /> The convention in chess that [[White and Black in chess|the player controlling the white pieces always moves first]] was not firmly established until the late 19th century. This article follows Kieseritzky's original account of the game, which agrees with the modern convention in chess: The player who moved first—Anderssen—used the white pieces, while Kieseritzky used the black pieces.}} {{pad|2}} Black: Lionel Kieseritzky {{pad|2}} [[Chess opening|Opening]]: [[King's Gambit#Bishop's Gambit|King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Bryan Countergambit]] (''[[Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings|ECO]]'' C33) '''1. e4 e5 2. f4''' : This is the [[King's Gambit]]: Anderssen offers his [[Pawn (chess)|pawn]] in exchange for faster development. This was one of the most popular openings of the 19th century and is still occasionally seen, though defensive techniques have improved since Anderssen's time. '''2... exf4 3. Bc4''' : The [[Bishop's Gambit]]; this line allows 3...Qh4+, depriving White of the right to [[castling|castle]], and is less popular than 3.Nf3. This check, however, also exposes Black's queen to attack with a gain of [[Tempo (chess)|tempo]] on the eventual Ng1–f3. {{Chess diagram small | tright | |rd|nd|bd| |kd|bd|nd|rd |pd| |pd|pd| |pd|pd|pd | | | | | | | | | |pd| | | | | | | | |bl| |pl|pd| |qd | | | | | | | | |pl|pl|pl|pl| | |pl|pl |rl|nl|bl|ql| |kl|nl|rl |Position after 4...b5 }} '''3... Qh4+ 4. Kf1 b5{{chesspunc|?!}}''' (diagram) : This is the Bryan Countergambit, deeply analysed by Kieseritzky, and which sometimes bears his name. It is not considered a {{chessgloss|sound}} move by most players today. '''5. Bxb5 Nf6 6. Nf3''' : This is a common developing move, but in addition the [[Knight (chess)|knight]] attacks Black's queen, forcing Black to move it instead of developing his other pieces. '''6... Qh6 7. d3''' : With this move, White solidifies control of the critical {{chessgloss|centre}} of the board. German grandmaster [[Robert Hübner]] recommends 7.Nc3 instead. '''7... Nh5''' : This move threatens ...Ng3+, and protects the pawn on f4, but also sidelines the knight to a poor position at the edge of the board, where knights are the least powerful, and does not develop a new piece. '''8. Nh4 Qg5''' : Better was 8...g6, according to Kieseritzky. '''9. Nf5 c6''' : This simultaneously [[Pin (chess)|unpins]] the {{chessgloss|queen pawn}} and attacks the bishop. Modern [[chess engine]]s suggest 9...g6 would be better, to deal with a very troublesome knight. {{Chess diagram small | tright | |rd|nd|bd| |kd|bd| |rd |pd| | |pd| |pd|pd|pd | | |pd| | |nd| | | |bl| | | |nl|qd| | | | | |pl|pd|pl| | | | |pl| | | | |pl|pl|pl| | | | |pl |rl|nl|bl|ql| |kl|rl| |Position after 11.Rg1 }} '''10. g4{{chesspunc|?}} Nf6 11. Rg1{{chesspunc|!}}''' (diagram) : This is an advantageous {{chessgloss|passive sacrifice|passive piece sacrifice}}. If Black accepts, his queen will be boxed in, giving White a lead in development. '''11... cxb5?''' : Hübner believes this was Black's critical mistake; this gains {{chessgloss|material}} but lacks in development, at a point where White's strong development is able to quickly mount an offensive. Hübner recommends 11...h5 instead. '''12. h4!''' : White's knight at f5 protects the pawn, which attacks Black's queen. '''12... Qg6 13. h5 Qg5 14. Qf3''' : White now has two threats: :* Bxf4, trapping Black's queen (the queen having no safe place to go); :* e5, attacking Black's knight at f6 while simultaneously exposing an attack by White's queen on the unprotected black rook on a8. '''14... Ng8''' : This deals with the threats, but undevelops Black even further—now the only black piece not on its starting square is the queen, which is about to be put on the run, while White has control over a great deal of the board. '''15. Bxf4 Qf6 16. Nc3 Bc5''' : An ordinary developing move by Black, which also attacks the rook at g1. '''17. Nd5''' : White responds to the attack with a counterattack. This move threatens the black queen and also Nc7+, [[fork (chess)|forking]] the king and rook. [[Richard Réti]] recommends 17.d4 followed by 18.Nd5, with advantage to White, although if 17.d4 Bf8 then 18.Be5 would be a stronger move. {{Chess diagram small | tright | |rd|nd|bd| |kd| |nd|rd |pd| | |pd| |pd|pd|pd | | | | | | | | | |pd|bd|nl| |nl| |pl | | | | |pl|bl|pl| | | | |pl| |ql| | |pl|qd|pl| | | | | |rl| | | | |kl|rl| |Position after 17...Qxb2 }} '''17... Qxb2''' (diagram) : Black gains a pawn, and threatens to gain the rook on a1 with [[Check (chess)|check]]. '''18. Bd6!''' : With this move White offers to sacrifice both of his rooks. Hübner comments that, from this position, there are actually many ways to win, and he believes there are at least three better moves than 18.Bd6: 18.d4, 18.Be3, or 18.Re1, which lead to strong positions or checkmate without needing to sacrifice so much material. The ''[[Chessmaster]]'' computer program annotation says "the main point [of 18. Bd6] is to divert the black queen from the a1–h8 diagonal. Now Black cannot play 18...Bxd6? 19.Nxd6+ Kd8 20.Nxf7+ Ke8 21.Nd6+ Kd8 22.Qf8#." [[Garry Kasparov]] comments that the world of chess would have lost one of its "crown jewels" if the game had continued in such an unspectacular fashion. 18. Bd6! is surprising, because White is willing to give up so much material. '''18... Bxg1?''' : [[Wilhelm Steinitz]] suggested in 1879 that a better move would be 18...Qxa1+;<ref>Kasparov (2003), p. 24.</ref> likely moves to follow are 19.Ke2 Qb2 20.Kd2 Bxg1.<ref>Several sources give a different move sequence: 18...Qxa1+ 19.Ke2 Bxg1 20.e5.</ref> The continuation played is still winning for White, however, despite having many complications. The variation continues 21.e5! Ba6 22.Bb4! Qxe5 (22...Be3+ 23.Qxe3 +/−; 22...Nh6 23.Nd6+ Kf8 24.g5 +−) 23.Nd6+ Qxd6 24.Bxd6 +/−. '''19. e5!''' : This sacrifices yet another white rook. More importantly, this move blocks the queen from participating in the defense of the king, and threatens mate in two: 20.Nxg7+ Kd8 21.Bc7{{chessAN|#}}. '''19... Qxa1+ 20. Ke2''' : At this point, Black's attack has run out of steam; Black has a queen and bishop on White's {{chessgloss|back rank}}, but cannot effectively mount an immediate attack on White, while White can storm forward. According to Kieseritzky, he {{chessgloss|resigned}} at this point. Hübner notes that an article by [[Friedrich Amelung]] in the journal ''Baltische Schachblaetter'', 1893, reported that Kiesertizky probably played 20...Na6, but Anderssen then announced the mating moves. ''[[The Oxford Companion to Chess]]'' also says that Black resigned at this point, citing an 1851 publication.<ref>Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 180. ''Immortal Game''.</ref> In any case, it is suspected that the last few moves were not actually played on the board in the original game. '''20... Na6''' : The black knight covers c7 as White was threatening 21.Nxg7+ Kd8 22.Bc7#. Another attempt to defend is 20...Ba6, allowing the black king to flee via c8 and b7, although White has enough with the continuation 21.Nc7+ Kd8 and 22.Nxa6, where if now 22...Qxa2 (to defend f7 against Bc7+, Nd6+ and Qxf7#) White can play 23.Bc7+ Ke8 24.Nb4, winning; or, if 22...Bb6 (stopping Bc7+), 23.Qxa8 Qc3 24.Qxb8+ Qc8 25.Qxc8+ Kxc8 26.Bf8 h6 27.Nd6+ Kd8 28.Nxf7+ Ke8 29.Nxh8 Kxf8, with a winning [[Chess endgame|endgame]] for White. {{Chess diagram small | tright | |rd| |bd|kd| | |nd|rd |pd| | |pd| |pd|nl|pd |nd| | |bl| |ql| | | |pd| |nl|pl| | |pl | | | | | | |pl| | | | |pl| | | | |pl| |pl| |kl| | | |qd| | | | | |bd| |Position after 22.Qf6+ }} '''21. Nxg7+ Kd8 22. Qf6+!''' (diagram) : This [[queen sacrifice]] forces Black to give up his defense of e7. '''22... Nxf6 23. Be7{{chessAN|#}} {{chessAN|1–0}}''' : At the end, Black is ahead in material by a considerable margin: a queen, two rooks, and a bishop. But the material does not help Black. White has been able to use his remaining pieces—two knights and a bishop—to force mate. {{Chess diagram | tleft | |rd| |bd|kd| | | |rd |pd| | |pd|bl|pd|nl|pd |nd| | | | |nd| | | |pd| |nl|pl| | |pl | | | | | | |pl| | | | |pl| | | | |pl| |pl| |kl| | | |qd| | | | | |bd| |Final position after 23.Be7# (a [[pure mate]]) }} {{clear left}} <!--== In media == * In [[Poul Anderson]]'s 1954 short story of the same name, [[computer chess]] programs reproduce the Immortal Game's moves.<ref name="anderson195402">{{Cite magazine |last=Anderson |first=Poul |date=February 1954 |title=The Immortal Game |url=https://archive.org/stream/Fantasy_Science_Fiction_v006n02_1954-02/Fantasy__Science_Fiction_v006n02_1954-02#page/n115/mode/2up |magazine=[[The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction]] |pages=115-124}}</ref> * [[David Shenk]] provides a move-by-move description of the game intermittently within the narrative of his 2007 work, ''[[The Immortal Game: A History of Chess]], or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science and the Human Brain'' ({{ISBN|0385510101}}) * ''[[Dragon Age Inquisition]]'' can have the characters Solas and The Iron Bull play the game move-for-move in their heads in party banter, respectively taking on the roles of Anderssen and Kieseritzky. * ''[[Blade Runner]]'', 1982 film by director Ridley Scott, uses the last three moves in this game as a way for the Replicant Batty to enter the Tyrell Corporation. * In the animated music video for [[Gorillaz]]' song "[[Humility (song)|Humility]]", [[Noodle (Gorillaz)|Noodle]] can be seen acting out the final move of the game. * In ''Fritz and Chester Part 1'', the game shown between Fritz's grandfather and King Black is the Immortal Game. * In ''The Wandering Inn'', a popular web serial, the Immortal Game is frequently referenced, and plays a role in the character development of several characters * In [[Maya Deren]]'s 1944 experimental film, ''[[At Land]]'', the game of chess being played at the beginning and end of the film are the Immortal Game.-->
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)