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Immortal Game

Adolf Anderssen beats Lionel Kieseritzky by sacrificing both rooks and the queen and mating with bishop and knights. The finish is the reason nineteenth-century attacking chess still gets taught from this score.

White
Adolf Anderssen
Black
Lionel Kieseritzky
Event
London
Year
1851
Result
1-0

Critical position

Immortal Game, after ply 44♜♝♚♜♟♟♟♘♟♞♗♞♟♘♙♙♙♙♙♙♔♛♝abcdefgh12345678

After 22... Nxf6. White to move.

Take over as White vs Maia

Step through

Position after 22... Nxf6♜♝♚♜♟♟♟♘♟♞♗♞♟♘♙♙♙♙♙♙♔♛♝abcdefgh12345678

22... Nxf6

Annotated score

  1. 1. e4 (best) e5 (best)

  2. 2. f4 (mistake) exf4 (best)

  3. 3. Bc4 (best) Qh4+ (excellent)

  4. 4. Kf1 (best) b5 (inaccuracy)

  5. 5. Bxb5 (best) Nf6 (excellent)

  6. 6. Nf3 (best) Qh6 (best)

  7. 7. d3 (good) Nh5 (inaccuracy)

  8. 8. Nh4 (inaccuracy) Qg5 (excellent)

  9. 9. Nf5 (best) c6 (good)

  10. 10. g4 (excellent) Nf6 (best)

  11. 11. Rg1 (best) cxb5 (best)

    Rg1: White leaves a rook hanging on g1 to keep the attack rolling.

  12. 12. h4 (best) Qg6 (best)

  13. 13. h5 (best) Qg5 (best)

  14. 14. Qf3 (best) Ng8 (best)

  15. 15. Bxf4 (best) Qf6 (best)

  16. 16. Nc3 (best) Bc5 (mistake)

  17. 17. Nd5 (inaccuracy) Qxb2 (best)

  18. 18. Bd6 (blunder) Bxg1 (blunder)

    Bd6: 18.Bd6 shuts the black king in and offers a second rook.

  19. 19. e5 (blunder) Qxa1+ (inaccuracy)

  20. 20. Ke2 (best) Na6 (blunder)

  21. 21. Nxg7+ (best) Kd8 (best)

  22. 22. Qf6+ (best) Nxf6 (best)

    Qf6+: 22.Qf6+ forces the knight off the mating square.

  23. 23. Be7# (best)

    Be7#: Bishop and two knights mate a king that never found a flight square.