Berlin, 1852

The Evergreen Game

Adolf Anderssen – Jean Dufresne · 1-0

Result: 1-0
Moves: 24
Opening: Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted
The names end at: 7... d3

Watch it on the map Final position on the map

The story

A year after the Immortal Game, Anderssen played this informal game against Jean Dufresne, most likely in Berlin. It opens with the Evans Gambit, the attacking weapon of the time.

White sacrifices a knight on f6, a rook on e7 and then the queen on d7, and a double check with 22. Bf5+ leads to mate with the bishops: 24. Bxe7#.

After Anderssen’s death in 1879, Wilhelm Steinitz called the game “an evergreen in the laurel crown of the departed chess hero”, and the name stuck.

The Evergreen Game: the map where the opening names end — The position where the game leaves the named openings, with every game of the next four moves around it.

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d3 8.Qb3 Qf6 9.e5 Qg6 10.Re1 Nge7 11.Ba3 b5 12.Qxb5 Rb8 13.Qa4 Bb6 14.Nbd2 Bb7 15.Ne4 Qf5 16.Bxd3 Qh5 17.Nf6+ gxf6 18.exf6 Rg8 19.Rad1 Qxf3 20.Rxe7+ Nxe7 21.Qxd7+ Kxd7 22.Bf5+ Ke8 23.Bd7+ Kf8 24.Bxe7# 1-0

Through the openings

1. e4King's Pawn Game
1... e5King's Pawn Game
2. Nf3King's Knight Opening
2... Nc6King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation
3. Bc4Italian Game
3... Bc5Italian Game: Giuoco Piano
4. b4Italian Game: Evans Gambit
4... Bxb4Italian Game: Evans Gambit Accepted
5... Ba5Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Main Line
6... exd4Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Pierce Defense
7... d3Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Dufresne Defense

Source of the moves: en.wikipedia.org

More famous games

The Opera GameMorphy, Paris 1858Playing from a box at the opera, Morphy mates his two opponents in 17 moves. The Immortal GameAnderssen, London 1851Anderssen gives up both rooks, a bishop and his queen, then mates with the minor pieces he has left. The Game of the CenturyD. Byrne – Fischer, New York 1956Thirteen-year-old Bobby Fischer gives up his queen and wins. Kasparov's ImmortalKasparov – Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999A rook sacrifice on move 24 starts a hunt that chases Black's king across the whole board. Deep Blue Beats KasparovDeep Blue – Kasparov, New York 1997The last game of the first match a computer won against the world champion, over in 19 moves. The Game Spassky ApplaudedFischer – Spassky, Reykjavik 1972Fischer almost never opened 1.c4; here he did, and at the end even Spassky joined the applause. The Octopus KnightKarpov – Kasparov, Moscow 1985Kasparov's knight digs in on d3 and paralyses White; that match made him world champion. Botvinnik's Bishop SacrificeBotvinnik – Capablanca, AVRO 1938Botvinnik beats former world champion Capablanca with a bishop sacrifice on move 30. The Immortal Zugzwang GameSämisch – Nimzowitsch, Copenhagen 1923White still has plenty of pieces, but every move he could make loses.