Three Romantic Era Chess Games You Should Know

Even now, the world's greatest chess players look back on the romantic era with nostalgia. They marvel at the greatness of players like Paul Morphy. They imagine chess games with more daring than theory. 

From this golden age of chess come some of the most famous games of all time. The following are my picks for the essential romantic chess games everyone should know.

A Little Context

Before we look at the games, you may be hoping for a quick recap of what defines romantic chess.

The romantic era was a moment in chess history, famous for a unique style of play and a cast of exceptional players. The era began in the early 19th century and declined in the 1880s. This was the time when the first major chess tournaments began to develop. Chess pieces were standardized, the first chess clocks were used, and a competitive sport began to emerge. 

However, more than the time frame, romantic chess is about a particular style of play. Chess theory was still in its early stages, and the players who defined this era were more interested in making chess exciting, expressionistic, and dashing. This meant tactics, sacrifices, and aggressive openings. Players were criticized for being safe or dull. It was much more important to play a beautiful game.

Players like Paul Morphy and Adolf Anderssen were champions of the style. As we'll see, they played spectacular games of chess that are still inspiring and impressive today.

The Games

If this dashing and romantic style of chess sounds like a bit much, these amazing games may be enough to change your mind. 

The Immortal Game

The Immortal Game was played between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky in 1851. Fittingly, this romantic-era masterpiece was a casual game played during a break in an official London tournament, where the two players were competing. 

Kieseritzky, who lost the game with the Black pieces, was so impressed by his opponent’s moves that he telegraphed the game annotation to his Paris club, where it was later printed. For many in that period, and for decades afterward, this was the greatest game of all time.

Analysis and Highlights 

The first moves were classic romantic era:

1. e4  e5
2. f4  exf4

This is the King’s Gambit (accepted), an opening rarely seen today but popular at the time. The game continued:

 3. bc4  Qh4+

Already, this does not feel like a game of chess we would see today. White has given up castling rights in exchange for space in the center and quick development.

The next moves continue to look a little strange to the modern eye. There are creative ideas behind them, but, strictly speaking, they contradict chess theory.  On move 10, we arrive at this position:

Anderssen offers up the bishop in exchange for the knight. The trade is no good for Black, and Kieseritzky correctly declines. He retreats the knight to f6, but Anderssen leaves the bishop hanging and plays Rg1.  Kieseritzky makes a mistake and accepts the sacrifice.

This allows White to begin pressuring the queen, continuously giving it only one option for escape. Anderssen wins a pawn and, more importantly, activates all of his pieces. 

Having moved the knight to d5, Black can play Qxb2, now threatening to take both rooks. Anderssen ignores this threat entirely and plays Bd6. Again, Kieseritzky takes the bait. He captures first with the bishop, and after e5 takes the other rook as well. 

Finally, all of the Black minor pieces surrounded the White king, but where is the checkmate? Anderssen plays Qf6+, a forcing sacrifice of the queen! The knight must recapture, and the bishop delivers the checkmate, Be7#. 

The Opera Game

This game was not played in a prodigious chess club or tournament, but in an opera house. The competitors in 1858 were the legendary Paul Morphy and two amateurs, Duke Karl and Count Isouard. As such, the game is not famous for being a close contest between brilliant players in tournament conditions. Instead, it is known for the speed, brilliance, and beauty of Morphy’s attack. 

Analysis and Highlights 

The game started with:

1. e4  e5

2. Nf3 d6

Duke Karl and Count Isouard, with the Black pieces, play the Philidor Defense. Morphy strikes the center directly with d4, and Black makes the questionable move Bg4. White can more or less force Black to capture the knight in an unfavorable trade, allowing the development of the queen.

The game continues with suboptimal development for Black and strong pressure-building play from White. The following position is reached.

Note how White’s pieces are active and poised for attack. Black attempts to push the bishop back with b5, but Morphy sacrifices the knight (Nxb5). He captures the pawn and begins to pressure the central king of the Duke and Count. 

Next, he sacrifices the rook for a knight, the start of one of the most famous checkmating combinations. It continues Rd1, Qe6, Bxd7+, and Nxd7. Can you spot the final sacrifice?

The brilliant Qb8+, forcing the knight to capture and allowing Rd8# checkmate.

This game is a bastion of romantic chess with sacrifices, tactics, and an incredible checkmate. One thing to consider is how the attack was prepared and allowed by the players with the Black pieces. White developed all of its pieces to active positions, and all would be necessary to execute the attack. By contrast, Black’s moves were more haphazard, and crucially, king safety was ignored.

The Evergreen Game

The second game of Adolf Anderssen to appear in this list, it takes its name from the following quote from an analysis by Wilhelm Steinitz:

“An evergreen in the laurel crown of the departed chess hero.”

Anderssen’s opponent was the prolific chess author Jean Dufresne. Though a strong player by most standards, he was not at the level of early masters like Anderssen. Perhaps it was this skill imbalance that allowed him to play with such freedom and brilliance in this 1852 game.

Analysis and Highlights 

The opening was another classic of the romantic era: the Evans Gambit. 

1. e4  e5
2. Nf3  Nc6
3. Bc4  Bc5
4. b4 …

The familiar developing moves come to an end with this unusual pawn gambit. The game progresses with some interesting choices, but it is the following checkmating combination that made it famous:

Rad1 is a brilliant and extraordinary move. Black can capture the knight on f3 and threaten checkmate. There seems to be no way for White to escape, but Anderssen had calculated an extraordinary combination:

20. Rxe7+  Nxe7

21. Qxd7+ …

The queen sacrifice forces Black to recapture and allows the double check: Bf5+. This is followed by the beautiful coordination of the bishops delivering checkmate.

All of Black’s material is poised but completely useless in the face of this barrage of forcing sacrifices. 

Romantic Chess Wrap-Up

Today, the world of chess engines and vast opening books can make the game seem somewhat overwhelming. For those getting into chess or renewing an old interest, these marvelous games from the romantic era give us a glimpse of an imperfect but beautiful game that is more accessible.

You may find yourself frustrated by the constant reminders from game analyses that there were much better moves you could have played. If so, try analyzing a few games from the romantic era and look at all the question marks that pop up. Even if the computer knows a better way to win, romantic chess reminds us of the creativity and human intelligence that made the game what it is. 

meta: Discover the most brilliant games of the romantic chess era, featuring queen sacrifices, unique tactics, and checkmating combinations.