Adolf Anderssen

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Adolf Anderssen

Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (July 6, 1818 - March 13, 1879) was a German chess master, one of the most renowned of the classic masters of 19th century chess. He had a long and distinguished chess career, and is generally considered to have been the leading chess player in the world from 1851-1858 and 1861-1866. Anderssen is sometimes considered to have been unofficial World Chess Champion. He is famous for his sparkling play even today.

Anderssen lost matches to Paul Morphy in 1858 and Wilhelm Steinitz in 1866. However he won the three major international tournaments played during his lifetime: London 1851, London 1862 and Baden-Baden 1870.

Contents

[edit] Background and early life

Anderssen was born in Breslau, in the Prussian Province of Silesia, in 1818. He lived in the city of his birth for most of his life, never married, living with and supporting his widowed mother and his unmarried sister. Anderssen graduated from the public gymnasium in Breslau, then attended university where he studied mathematics and philosophy. He graduated, and took a position at the Friedrichs-Gymnasium as an instructor in 1847 (29 year old) and later Professor of Mathematics. Anderssen lived a quiet, stable, responsible, respectable, middle-class life. His career was teaching math, while his hobby and passion was playing chess.

When Anderssen was nine years old, his father taught him how to play. Anderssen said that as a boy, he learned the strategy of the game from a copy of William Lewis's book Fifty Games between Labourdonnais and McDonnell(1835). Anderssen was not a chess prodigy; his progress was deliberate, and by 1840 at age twenty-two, he had not yet surpassed German masters such as Ludwig Bledow, von der Lasa, and Wilhelm Hanstein.

Anderssen first came to the attention of the chess world when he published some short and lively chess problems in 1842. Then in 1846, he became an editor with the magazine Schachzeitung (later called Deutsche Schachzeitung).

[edit] Chess career

[edit] London 1851

In 1848 Anderssen drew a match with the professional player Daniel Harrwitz. On the basis of this match and his general chess reputation, he received an invitation to be the standard-bearer for German chess at the world's first international chess tournament, London 1851. This was world's first international chess tournament where major grand masters took part in serious competition. All the best players except Russian Petroff participated. Anderssen was reluctant to accept the invitation, as travel costs were a substantial issue to his limited pocketbook. However, Howard Staunton offered to pay Anderssen's travel expenses out of his own pocket if necessary, should Anderssen fail to win a tournament prize. This was a generous offer, and Anderssen made the trip. At that tournament, Anderssen defeated Lionel Kieseritzky, József Szén, Staunton, and Marmaduke Wyvill, winning the tournament.[1]

The 1851 tournament is often considered to be a world chess championship, although the term does not appear to have been used. In any case, the tournament established Anderssen as the leading chess player in the world.

Anderssen was celebrated as well for two of his casual chess games in which he was victorious through combinations involving heavy sacrifice of the pieces. In the first, called the Immortal Game, as white against Lionel Kieseritzky in 1851, he sacrificed a bishop, both rooks and finally his queen. In the second played in Berlin, in the year 1852, as white against Jean Dufresne, the total sacrifice was more modest, but still exceeded a queen and a minor piece. That game has since been called the Evergreen Game.

[edit] Morphy match, 1858

For the next few years he was considered by many people to be the world's premier player, but as he needed to earn a living, he had to return to his teaching profession after the competition. Then in late 1858 he was beaten by the American champion Paul Morphy in a famous match held in Paris, France, losing by a score of two wins versus Morphy's seven and two draws (8:3).[2]

Anderssen played the curious initial move of 1. a3 in the match against Morphy, and this opening move is now referred to as "Anderssen's Opening." The opening has never been popular in serious competition. In 1860 he drew Louis Paulsen in an 8 game match.

[edit] London 1862

Three years after being defeated by Morphy, Anderssen came back and won London 1862, the first international round-robin event (in which each participant plays a game against each of the others) with a score of twelve wins out of thirteen games, losing only to John Owen.[3] Morphy had retired from chess at this time, so Anderssen was again generally regarded as the world's leading active player.

[edit] Steinitz match, 1866

In 1866 Anderssen played and lost a close match (6:8) with young Wilhelm Steinitz (30 year-old).[4] The match introduced a number of new ideas to the field of chess strategy.[citation needed] Although the match was not for the official world championship (for one thing, such a claim could not easily be made while Morphy was alive), it is generally seen as the point at which Steinitz succeeded Anderssen as the world's leading active player.[5]

[edit] Baden-Baden 1870

One of Anderssen's greatest chess achievement came late in his life, when he won Baden-Baden 1870, arguably the strongest tournament ever held up to its time. He finished first, half a point ahead of Steinitz, as well as the great players Neumann and Blackburne.[6]

[edit] Later years

Still playing strongly, Anderssen's last major victory was placing second at Leipzig 1877, at the age of fifty nine. Two years later, he died.

The Deutsche Schachzeitung noted his death in 1879 with a nineteen page obituary.

[edit] Legacy

Though outclassed by Morphy, and to a lesser extent by Steinitz, Anderssen has been called the first modern chess master.[7]

Arpad Elo, inventor of the Elo rating system, retroactively calculated ratings through history, and estimated that Anderssen was the first player with a rating over 2600 (Elo 1978:191).

Anderssen is remembered as a sound chess player, who attacked properly and defended at the right time. Morphy, Steinitz and Anderssen had similar approaches towards the game of chess: their play relied on proper development and safety, not simple attacks against the king or queen, thus giving birth to modern chess.[citation needed]

Anderssen was generally well liked and considered very honest. Steinitz wrote: "Anderssen was honest and honourable to the core. Without fear or favour he straightforwardly gave his opinion, and his sincere disinterestedness became so patent....that his word alone was usually sufficient to quell disputes...for he had often given his decision in favour of a rival..."

[edit] Notable games

[edit] References

  1. ^ 1851 London Tournament, Mark Weeks' Chess Pages
  2. ^ Morphy Matches, Mark Weeks' Chess Pages
  3. ^ 1862 London Tournament, Marks Weeks' Chess Pages
  4. ^ 1866-76 Wilhelm Steinitz matches, Mark Weeks' Chess Pages
  5. ^ "The Centenary Match, Kasparov-Karpov III", Raymond Keene and David Goodman 1986, p. 1-2
  6. ^ BADEN-BADEN 1870, Jan van Reek's Chess Pages
  7. ^ "The World's Great Chess Games", Reuben Fine, McKay 1976, p.17

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

br:Adolf Anderssen bg:Адолф Андерсен cs:Adolf Anderssen de:Adolf Anderssen es:Adolf Anderssen fr:Adolf Anderssen gl:Adolf Anderssen id:Adolf Anderssen it:Adolf Anderssen he:אדולף אנדרסן mk:Адолф Андерсен nl:Adolf Anderssen ja:アドルフ・アンデルセン nds:Adolf Anderssen pl:Adolf Anderssen pt:Adolf Anderssen ro:Adolf Anderssen ru:Андерсен, Адольф sr:Адолф Андерсен sv:Adolf Anderssen tr:Adolf Anderssen uk:Андерсен Адольф

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