White: Adolf Anderssen; Black: Lionel Kieseritsky
London 1851
Kings Gambit
This game was played during the 1851 Great Exhibition. The loser Lionel Kieseritsky, chess tutor at the Café de la Regence, Paris, where he gave lessons at 5 francs a hour, was so impressed by the brilliance of Anderssen's play that he immediately telegraphed the moves to a waiting audience in Paris. Ever since, this game has been known by the name, the Immortal Game.
1. e4 e5
2. f4 exf4
3. Bc4 Qh4+
4. Kf1 b5
Here
Black sacrifices his
pawn to lure
White's
bishop away from its attacking position and to create an avenue of development for his own
queen's
bishop from b7. In 1851 even masters regarded this as sufficient compensation for the loss of a
pawn.
5. Bxb5 Nf6
6. Nf3 Qh6
7. d3 Nh5
This is a mistake.
Black would have been better advised to play … Bb7. The
knight's threat of … Ng3+ is too easily parried.
8. Nh4 Qg5
9. Nf5 c6
10. g4 Nf6
Black here expects to win
White's g4
pawn, expecting the continuation 11 Bc4 Qxg4. However
White sacrifices his
bishop, the first of many sacrifices in this game.
11. Rg1 cxb5
12. h4 Qg6
White has the initiative, every move now poses a forced threat.
13. h5 Qg5
14. Qf3
White now poses the terrible new threat of Bxf4, trapping
Black's
queen. In order to create an avenue of escape,
Black has to retreat one of the pieces he has developed
14. Ng8
15. Bxf4 Qf6
16. Nc3 Bc5
17. Nd5
Here
White will sacrifice both
rooks and his
queen to deliver
checkmate.
17. Qxb2
18. Bd6 Qxa1+
Black wins his first
rook.
19. Ke2 Bxg1
Black does not believe
White's attack and takes the second
rook.
White is now down two
rooks and a
bishop. He must go for a
knockout blow, otherwise
Black can recover and win on sheer material.
20. e5 Na6
21. Nxg7+ Kd8
Now the
queen sacrifice.
22. Qf6+ Nxf6
23. Be7 checkmate
The most spectacular
knockout in the entire history of
chess.
It has also been pointed out by Mod that this game is symbolically played out in Blade Runner between J. F. Sebastian (A man with a very limited lifespan) and Dr. Tyrell (Who is the Creator).
This is one of many subtle messages in the film.
- e4 e5
- f4 exf4
- ♗c4 ♕h4+
- ♔f1 b5
- ♗xb5 ♘f6
- ♘f3 ♕h6
- d3 ♘h5
- ♘h4 ♕g5
- ♘f5 c6
- g4 ♘f6
- ♖g1 cxb5
- h4 ♕g6
- h5 ♕g5
- ♕f3 ♘g8
- ♗xf4 ♕f6
- ♘c3 ♗c5
- ♘d5 ♕xb2
- ♗d6 ♕xa1+
- ♔e2 ♗xg1
- e5 ♘a6
- ♘xg7+ ♔d8
- ♕f6+ ♘xf6
- ♗e7 checkmate
Using Unicode on E2