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Anderssen was born in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland) in 1818. He lived in the city of his birth for most of his life, never married, living with and supporting his widowed mother and his unmarried sister. Anderssen graduated from the public gymnasium in Breslau, then attended university where he studied mathematics and philosophy. He graduated, and took a position at the Friedrichs Gymnasium as an instructor and later Professor of Mathematics. Anderssen lived a quiet, stable, responsible, respectable, middle-class life. His career was teaching math, while his hobby and passion was playing chess.
When Anderssen was nine years old, his father taught him how to play. Anderssen said that as a boy, he learned the strategy of the game from a copy of William Lewis 's book Fifty Games between Labourdonnais and McDonnell(1835). Anderssen was not a chess prodigy; his progress was deliberate, and by 1840 at age twenty-two, he had not yet surpassed German masters such as Bledow, von der Lasa, and Hanstein.
Anderssen first came to the attention of the chess world when he published some short and lively chess problems in 1842. Then in 1846, he became involved with the magazine Schachzeitung (later called Deutsche Schachzeitung).
In 1848 Anderssen drew a match with the professional player Daniel Harrwitz. On the basis of this match and his general chess reputation, he received an invitation to be the standard-bearer for German chess at the world's first international chess tournament, London 1851 (chess tournaments are traditionally named by listing the city and date). Anderssen was reluctant to accept the invitation, as travel costs were a substantial issue to his limited pocketbook. However, Howard Staunton offered to pay Anderssen's travel expenses out of his own pocket if necessary, should Anderssen fail to win a tournament prize. This was a generous offer, and Anderssen made the trip. At that tournament, Anderssen defeated Lionel Kieseritzky, József Szén , Staunton, and Marmaduke Wyvill, winning the tournament to everyone's surprise.
Anderssen was celebrated as well for two of his casual chess games in which he was victorious through combinations involving heavy sacrifice of the pieces. In the first, called the Immortal GameThe immortal game is a chess game played in 1851 by Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky. It is one of the most famous chess games of all time. Adolf Anderssen was one of the strongest players of his time, and was considered by many to be the world cham, as white against Lionel Kieseritzky in 1851Events January 23 The flip of a coin determines whether a new city in Oregon is named after Boston, Massachusetts, or Portland, Maine, with Portland winning. March 1 Victor Hugo gives speech at the French national assembly and uses the phrase United State, he sacrified a bishop, two rooks and finally his queen. In the second played in BerlinBerlin [ bɛrˈliːn ] is the national capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,387,404 inhabitants (as of September 2004); down from 4. 5 million before World War II. Berlin is located on the rivers Spree and Havel in the northea, in the year 1852Events January 14 President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic. January 17 United Kingdom recognizes independence of the Transvaal Devil's Island penal colony opens February 11 First British public toilet, as white against Jean DufresneJean Dufresne ( February 14, 1829 1893) was a German chess player. He was a pupil of Adolf Anderssen, and lost the " Evergreen game" to him in 1852. He wrote several chess manuals, one of which is still being sold 100 years later. Dufresne, Jean Dufresne,, the total sacrifice was more modest, but still exceeded a queen and a minor piece. That game has since been called the Evergreen GameThe evergreen game is the name of a famous chess game was played in 1852 by Adolf Anderssen and Jean Dufresne. Adolf Anderssen was one of the stongest players of his time, and was considered by many to be the world champion after winning the 1851 London t.
For the next few years he was considered by many people to be the world's premier player. Then in 1858 he was beaten by the American star Paul MorphyPaul Charles Morphy ( June 22, 1837 July 10, 1884), known as "The Pride and Sorrow of Chess," was generally considered to have been the strongest chess master of his time and an unofficial World Champion. He was also the first American since Benjamin Fran in a famous match held in Paris, France, losing by a score of two wins versus Morphy's seven, with two draws.
Anderssen played the curious initial move of 1. a3 in the match against Morphy, and this opening move is now referred to as "Anderssen's Opening." The opening has never been popular in serious competition.