Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen was born in Breslau, Prussia (now Wroclaw, Poland) on July 6, 1818. He came from a poor family.
He learned chess from his father in 1827 at the age of 9 and filled up his school books with chess diagrams. He lived with his mother and spinster sister. He never married.
In 1842 he published a book of 60 chess problems called "Aufgaben fur Schachspieler."
Around 1845 he graduated from Breslau University and became a matematics and German instructor at the Friedrichs Gymnasium in Breslau, and later a professor of Mathematics in the University of Breslau.
In 1846 he was a contributing editor of Schachzeitung (later Deutsche Schachzeitung), one of the first chess magazines in Germany.
From 1847 to 1851 Anderssen was a tutor in a private family in Pomerania.
In 1848 he drew a match with Daniel Harrwitz, winning 5 games and losing 5 games.
On July 15, 1851 Anderssen won the 1851 London International, defeating Lionel Kieseritzky (2.5-0.5), Josef Szen (4-2), Howard Staunton (4-1), and Marmaduke Wyvill (4.5-2.5). The victory earned Anderssen the unofficial world champion. This was the first International Chess Tournament. Anderssen was one of the representatives of the Berlin chess club. His first place prize was a silver cup and 183 British pounds. The total prize fund was 355 British pounds. He owed 1/3 of his winnings to Josef Szen after a private agreement that if either were to gain first prize, he would share it with the other.
The chess event was held in conjunction with the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London. The chess event started on May 26, 1851 and ended July 15, 1851. 16 masters (Lowe, Wyvill, H. Kenedy, Mayet, Lowenthal, Williams, Mucklow, E. Kennedy, Anderssen, Kieseritzky, Szen, Newham, Staunton, Brodie, Bird, and Horwitz) played in a knockout tournament organized and played at the St. George Chess Club at 5 Cavendish Square, London. All the chess players had to pay their own expenses. The entrance fee was 5 British pounds. The Exhibition opened on May 1 and closed on October 15, 1851.
Anderssen never visited the Great Exhibition while he was in London. When asked why he did not go to see the Great Exhibition, Anderssen replied, "I came to London to play chess."
Anderssen defeated Kieseritsky in brilliant style in a friendly game played at the Simpson's-in-the-Strand tavern. This King's Gambit Accepted is known as the Immortal Game. Anderssen mated Kieseritsky in 23 moves. He had sacrificed a bishop, 2 rooks, and his queen before checkmating. The ending of the game was used in The Blade Runner. A chess game was played between Tyrell and Sebastian. A diagram from the game appears on the German 75 pfenning currency coupon.
In 1851 the strongest chess player in the world was A. Anderssen. In the same year, A. Anderson was the strongest checker (draughts) player in the world.
In 1852 Anderssen mated J. Dufresne in 24 moves in a Berlin tournament using an Evans Gambit. Steinitz called it the Evergreen Game, "a blossom in Anderssen's wreath of laurels."
On December 25, 1858 Anderssen went to Paris to play Paul Morphy. He lost the match of 11 games (he won 2, drew 2, lost 7) in 9 days. Anderssen had not played chess for 6 years and travelled to Paris on his vacation time, even though it had been stipulated earlier that the match was to be held in Breslau. After this offical match, the two players played 6 offhand games. Anderssen won 1 and lost 5 of these games.
The first game of the Morphy-Anderssen match began on April 12, 1859, at the Hotel Breuteuil in Paris.
At the London Chess Club in August, 1861 he defeated I. Kolisch with 4 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses. This was the first match played with a time limit. An hourglass (sandglass) gave each player 2 hours to make 24 moves (5 minutes a move). Anderssen's prize was 10 guineas.
In June, 1862 he took first place in the 1862 London International. This was the first round-robin tournament in which everyone plays everyone. 2nd through 6th were Paulsen, Owen, MacDonnell, Dubois, and Steinitz.
In 1864 he was co-editor of the Neue Berliner Schachzeitung, with Neumann.
In January 1865 Breslau University awarded Anderssen with an honorary degree, Doctor of Philosophy, for his work as a mathematics teacher and for chess.
In July, 1866 in London he lost a match with Wilhelm (William) Steinitz, winning 6 and losing 8. This was the first time mechanical clocks were used. Steinitz later claimed that this was the beginning of his world championship reign, even though there was no suggestion of any title at stake.
In 1868 Anderssen defeated Zukertort in a match with 8 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw.
In August, 1869 he won at the Hamburg Chess Congress and, later, at the Barmen Chess Congress (with a perfect score).
In August, 1870, at the age of 52, he won an international tournament in Baden-Baden ahead of Steinitz and Blackburne.
In 1871 he won at Crefeld. In April, 1871 Anderssen lost a match against Zukertort, losing 5 games, and winning 2 games, with no draws.
He won at Leipzig in 1876.
In 1877 he took 2nd at Leipzig (won by Paulsen). This tournament was organized by a group of German chess fans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Anderssen's learning the chess moves (in 1827). This is the only tournament ever organized to commemorate a competitor.
In 1878 he played in his last tournament, taking 3rd place at Frankfurt at the age of 60.
He died in Breslau on March 13, 1879 of a heart attack. His obituary ran 19 pages in the May, 1879 issue of "Deutsche Schachzeitung." He took part in 12 tournaments between 1851 and 1878 and won the first place prize in 7 of these events (London 1851, London 1862, Hamburg 1869, Barmen 1869, Baden 1870, Crefeld 1871, Leipzig 1876). He appeared on the prize list of all 12 tournaments he entered.
Here are some of Anderssen's shortest games.