Played in 1851, this casual chess game between Anderssen and Kieseritzky became one of the most celebrated examples of Romantic attacking chess ever recorded.
Key Facts
- Date played
- 21 June 1851
- Winner
- Adolf Anderssen
- Loser
- Lionel Kieseritzky
- First published in
- La Régence (French chess journal)
- Nickname coined
- 1855, by Ernst Falkbeer
- Game type
- Casual game (not part of tournament)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the London 1851 chess tournament, Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky played a casual, informal game on the sidelines of the official competition. The Romantic era of chess prized bold sacrificial attacks, and both players engaged freely in aggressive, speculative play characteristic of that style.
Anderssen defeated Kieseritzky by sacrificing all of his major pieces — rooks and queen — to mount a decisive mating attack using only his minor pieces. The game concluded with a stunning combination that left Kieseritzky's king trapped. Kieseritzky himself was sufficiently impressed to publish the game in the French journal La Régence shortly afterward.
Ernst Falkbeer's 1855 analysis coined the name 'Immortal Game,' cementing its legendary status. The game became a staple of chess literature, widely reproduced to illustrate attacking themes and aesthetic play. Its famous mating continuation — featuring a queen sacrifice — became a celebrated model mate, influencing how chess beauty and sacrifice are taught and appreciated to this day.
Result
at London 1851 chess tournament venue, London