Adolf Anderssen – The King of Romantic Chess

Adolf Anderssen (1818–1879) was a German mathematics professor and the strongest chess player of his era. He is best known for winning the first international chess tournament in London (1851).

His games are pure art. Unlike modern professionals who play for safety, Anderssen played for beauty, often giving up huge amounts of material to hunt the enemy King.

Played against Jean Dufresne in 1852, this game features a spectacular combination where Anderssen sacrifices his Queen to deliver a mating net in the center of the board.

Yes, he famously lost a match to the American genius Paul Morphy in 1858, marking the passing of the torch to the next generation.

If you want to play like Anderssen, you must play the King's Gambit and the Evans Gambit. He believed in open lines above all else.

The most famous chess game in history. Anderssen sacrificed everything—Bishop, both Rooks, and Queen—to checkmate Kieseritzky with just three minor pieces.

A masterpiece against Jean Dufresne featuring a stunning Queen sacrifice on move 19 to force mate. Steinitz called it "The Evergreen in the laurel wreath of the old German master."

He won the first-ever international chess tournament, defeating Howard Staunton and becoming the unofficial World Champion.

He revitalized the King's Gambit, showing that playing 2.f4 was a fearsome weapon even at the highest level.

Eleven years after his first triumph, he proved he was still the best in the world by winning London 1862 ahead of Louis Paulsen.

Anderssen wasn't just a player; he composed beautiful chess problems, which helped him spot geometric patterns in real games.

Unlike modern pros, Anderssen had a day job! He taught mathematics and German at the Friedrichs Gymnasium in Breslau.

He taught Johannes Zukertort, who would later challenge Steinitz for the first official World Championship.

Though he lost to Morphy in 1858, Anderssen praised his opponent heavily, saying, "Morphy plays 17 moves, I play 20."

Even at age 52, he won the strongest tournament of the time, Baden-Baden 1870, ahead of Steinitz and Blackburne.

He famously played 1. a3 against Morphy to prove that a strong player can win with any opening.

He was the supreme virtuoso of the Evans Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4!), using it to crush opponents quickly.

His ability to calculate combinations 10+ moves deep was unrivaled in his prime.

He represents the peak of the "Romantic Era," where style and beauty were valued as much as the result.

Known for his jolly and kind nature, he famously smiled after losing to Morphy, appreciating the genius of his opponent.

He played many games by mail, which allowed him to analyze his wild complications even deeper.

He often sacrificed material on intuition alone, trusting that his attack would crash through.

Many standard checkmate patterns (like Anderssen's Mate) are named after his games.

Since the official title didn't exist until 1886, he never held the title, but he is universally recognized as the champion of his time.

This quote (attributed to him) summarizes his entire philosophy of chess.