| Revision as of 07:24, 26 December 2013 editIhardlythinkso (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers75,238 edits →The game: add annotation← Previous edit | Revision as of 07:28, 26 December 2013 edit undoIhardlythinkso (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers75,238 editsm →The game: +wlinkNext edit → | ||
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| '''23. Bd7+ Kf8''' | '''23. Bd7+ Kf8''' | ||
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| '''24. Bxe7# 1–0''' | '''24. Bxe7# 1–0''' | ||
Revision as of 07:28, 26 December 2013
The Evergreen Game is a famous chess game played in Berlin in 1852 between Adolf Anderssen and Jean Dufresne.
Adolf Anderssen was one of the strongest players of his time, and was considered by many to be the world champion after winning the London 1851 tournament. Jean Dufresne, a popular author of chess books, was considered a master of lesser but still considerable skill. This was an informal game, like the Immortal Game.
Wilhelm Steinitz later described the game as the "evergreen in Anderssen's laurel wreath", thus giving this game its name. The German word Immergrün (Evergreen), used by Steinitz, refers to a specific evergreen plant, called Periwinkle (Vinca) in English. The symbolic meaning is expressed in the French translation, the "Forever Young Game" (La Toujours Jeune).
This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.The game
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 |              | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
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White: Anderssen Black: Dufresne Opening: Evans Gambit (ECO C52)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4
- The Evans Gambit, a popular opening in the 19th century and still seen occasionally today. White gives up material to gain an advantage in development.
4... Bxb4 5. c3 Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. 0-0 d3?!
- This isn't considered to be a good response; alternatives include 7...dxc3?!, 7...d6, and 7...Nge7.
8. Qb3!?
- Immediately attacking the f7-pawn, but FIDE Master Graham Burgess suggests 8.Re1 instead (Burgess, Nunn & Emms 2004:20).
8... Qf6 9. e5 Qg6
- White's e5-pawn cannot be taken; if 9...Nxe5, then 10.Re1 d6 11.Qa4+, forking the king and bishop to win a piece.
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| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
10. Re1! Nge7 11. Ba3 b5?!
- Rather than defending his own position, Black offers a counter-sacrifice to activate his a8-rook with tempo. Burgess suggests 11...a6 instead, to allow the b-pawn to advance later with tempo (Burgess, Nunn & Emms 2004:21).
12. Qxb5 Rb8 13. Qa4 Bb6
- Black cannot castle here because 14. Bxe7 would win a piece, as the knight on c6 cannot simultaneously protect the knight on e7 and the bishop on a5.
14. Nbd2 Bb7? 15. Ne4 Qf5?
- Black does better with 15...d2! 16.Nexd2 0-0 according to Lasker, with a clear advantage for White (Harding & Botterill 1977:45).
16. Bxd3 Qh5 17. Nf6+!?
- A dramatic sacrifice, although Burgess notes that 17.Ng3 Qh6 18.Bc1 Qe6 19.Bc4 wins material in a simpler way (Burgess, Nunn & Emms 2004:21–22). Or 18.Nf5 and White has a clear edge (Harding & Botterill 1977:45). The Chessmaster computer program annotation says "this is not without danger, as Black now obtains an open g-file for counterplay."
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
17... gxf6 18. exf6 Rg8 19. Rad1! Qxf3?
- White cannot play 20.gxf3 since the pawn on g2 is pinned by the rook on g8 (see diagram). Black now threatens to take either on f2 or g2, both major threats to the white king, but Anderssen has a shattering resource available. A better choice for Black was 19...Rg4! (Lipke, 1898), and if 20.c4 then 20...Bd4 (Zaitsev, 64, 1976).
20. Rxe7+! Nxe7?
- The passive alternative 20...Kd8 does hold longer, but White is better after 21.Rxd7+ Kc8 22.Rd8+ Kxd8 (22...Rxd8 23.gxf3) 23.Bf5+ (Chessmaster gives 23.Be2+) Qxd1+ 24.Qxd1+ Nd4 25.g3.
21. Qxd7+!! Kxd7 22. Bf5+
- Double checks like 22.Bf5+ are powerful because they force the king to move. Here it is decisive.
22... Ke8
- 22...Kc6 loses to 23.Bd7#
23. Bd7+ Kf8
- If 23...Kd8, then either 24.Bxe7 or 24.fxe7 are mate.
24. Bxe7# 1–0
Savielly Tartakower said, "A combination second to none in the literature of the game." (Tartakower & du Mont 1975:35).
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| 8 |           | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
See also
References
- Fadul, Jose A. Lessons in Chess, Lessons in Life. Lulu Press. 2008. page 59.
- Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1987). "Evergreen Game". The Oxford Companion to Chess. Oxford University Press. p. 108. ISBN 0-19-281986-0.
Bibliography
- Burgess, Graham; Nunn, John; Emms, John (2004), The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games (2nd ed.), Carroll & Graf, ISBN 978-0-7867-1411-7
- Eade, James. Chess for Dummies. 1996. Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. ISBN 0-7645-5003-9.
- Harding, Tim; Botterill, G. S. (1977), The Italian Game, B.T. Batsford Ltd, ISBN 0-7134-3261-6
- Tartakower, Savielly; du Mont, Julius (1975) , 500 Master Games of Chess, Dover Publications, ISBN 0-486-23208-5