Famous chess master of the nineteenth century, known as a brilliant
combination player who, according to
Richard Reti, in his book
Masters of the Chessboard
"developed the power of combination
of the entire chess world to such an extent
that it became ripe for position play."
Born on July 6, 1818, in Breslau, Germany. Died March 13, 1879. Studied Philosophy and Mathematics, and taught at the college of Breslau. Won first prize at the First International Master Tournament in London, 1851.
Anderssen played and won two of the most famous, and most often analyzed games in the history of chess, the "Immortal," played against Kieseritzky in 1851 at the tournament in London, and "Evergreen," played against Dufresne in 1852 at Berlin. These games are known, not because of the soundness of the theory behind the moves, but because of the excitement generated by the combinations that Anderssen pulled off.