King's Gambit

16. The Immortal Game (Anderssen vs Kieseritzky 1851)

Played in London in 1851, the 'Immortal Game' saw Adolf Anderssen sacrifice a bishop, both rooks, and finally his queen to deliver mate with just three minor pieces. The pure essence of the King's Gambit!

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Qh4+ 4.Kf1 b5 5.Bxb5 Nf6 6.Nf3 Qh6 7.d3 Nh5 8.Nh4

Move by move

  1. 1.e4 – White's fundamental opening thrust: controls the center with e4, opens paths for bishop and queen, laying the cornerstone for the King's Gambit.
  2. 1...e5 – The classical response: Black stakes a firm claim on the center with e5, stopping White's immediate d4 and enabling smooth piece development.
  3. 2.f4 – The legendary King's Gambit! White offers the f-pawn on move two to deflect Black's e5 pawn, pry open the f-file for the rook, and rule the center.
  4. 2...exf4 – The King's Gambit Accepted: Black takes the sacrificed pawn on f4, weakening central presence while daring White to prove rapid attacking initiative.
  5. 3.Bc4 – Swift bishop development to c4, zeroing in on the sensitive f7 target and setting up an insidious trap against a careless enemy monarch.
  6. 3...Qh4+ – Greedy queen check: Black's queen rushes into h4 expecting to inflict fatal damage upon White's king and score a quick romantic victory.
  7. 4.Kf1 – White's king steps calmly to f1, eluding the check while preparing to develop the knight to f3 with a crushing gain of time on the queen.
  8. 4...b5 – The famous pawn sacrifice in the Immortal Game: Black pushes b5 to deflect the c4 bishop away from f7 with tactical counter-intentions.
  9. 5.Bxb5 – Pawn sacrifice accepted: the bishop captures on b5 with tempo, keeping heat on the queenside while preparing the next wave of attack.
  10. 5...Nf6 – Black develops the knight to f6 attacking the e4 pawn, attempting to push back against White's terrifying, orchestrated assault.
  11. 6.Nf3 – Attacking development with Nf3: controls central squares, hits Black's queen, and readies the timely entry of the f1 rook down the f-file.
  12. 6...Qh6 – Black's queen drops back to h6 trying to maintain diagonal pressure and guard f4, but becomes completely cut off from queenside defense.
  13. 7.d3 – Consolidation with d3: solidly reinforces the center and unchains the c1 dark-squared bishop for the final assault on the enemy king.
  14. 7...Nh5 – Desperate knight leap to h5: tries to stir up counterplay against g3, but strands yet another minor piece far away from the king.
  15. 8.Nh4 – Anderssen's immortal maneuver! Nh4 defuses Black's threats and opens the gates for the legendary sacrifices culminating in checkmate.

How to exploit the position

The glorious spirit of Anderssen's Immortal Game

Master tips

Immortal glory through relentless attack

Never fear sacrificing material to strike down the enemy monarch