White to move. Anderssen has a knight on f5 and the bishop pair aiming at Black's king. He found the pawn break that blows open the king-side — can you see it?
Adolf Anderssen vs Johannes Zukertort
Why this game matters
Barmen, 1869. Adolf Anderssen, the grand old man of attacking chess, met the rising Johannes Zukertort — soon to be one of his greatest pupils and rivals. Anderssen wheeled out his favourite Evans Gambit, built a big centre, and broke through on the king-side with the kind of direct attack that made his name two decades earlier.
The lesson
Space and a big pawn centre are tools for attack: advance them to open lines toward the king. Anderssen used d5 and the f5-knight to fix Black's pieces, then crashed through with g4–g5 and a pawn storm. When you have the centre and more attackers, push.
Move by move
4. b44.b4 — the Evans Gambit, Anderssen's signature: a pawn offered to build a centre and open lines fast.
7. O-O7.O-O — White castles and follows with cxd4, getting the classic broad pawn centre the gambit aims for.
15. Kh115.Kh1 — a quiet, modern-looking king move, tucking the king away before the storm and clearing g1 for a rook.
18. Nf518.Nf5! The knight lands on a dream square, eyeing g7 and h6 and cramping the whole black king-side.
19. Rg119.Rg1 — Anderssen lines up the rook behind the g-pawn, preparing the pawn storm g4–g5.
20. g420.g4! The attack begins. The pawns roll forward to pry open lines around Black's king.
21… dxe521...dxe5 — Black wins the bishop pair but opens the centre, which only helps White's attack.
23. g523.g5! The breakthrough. With f6 under fire, the black king-side is about to be torn open.
26. Rcg126.Rcg1 — both rooks now bear down the g-file; Black's king has no defenders.
28. Qh628.Qh6 — the queen joins with decisive threats around g7 and h7; Zukertort resigned. A classic Anderssen attack.
Frequently asked
What is the Evans Gambit?
An aggressive line of the Italian Game (4.b4) in which White sacrifices a pawn to gain time, build a big centre and open lines for a fast attack. It was a favourite of Anderssen and, later, Kasparov.
Who was Zukertort here?
Johannes Zukertort, then a rising master and pupil of Anderssen, who would go on to win London 1883 and play the first World Championship match against Steinitz in 1886. In 1869 the old master still had the upper hand.
Can I try the attack myself?
Yes — take the board as White and find the king-side breakthrough, or replay the whole game move by move, no sign-up.