Adolf Anderssen (1818–1879) was a German chess master and he’s considered to have been the world’s leading chess player for much of the 1850s and 1860s. At this period of time, he was at his peak, he won several important tournaments and was also successful in most of his matches.
He’s extremely famous, even today, for his brilliant attacking and very aggressive play. His style is characterized by piece sacrifices. Today, you can enjoy some of his best combinations. 🙂 Before going to the combinations, here is something you might not know about Anderssen.

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Anderssen’s Best Tournament Results

1. London International (1851) – 1st
2. London Chess Club Tournament (1851) – 1st
3. London International (1862) – 1st
4. Aachen (1868) – tied for 1st & 2nd with Max Lange
5. Hamburg (1869) – tied for 1st & 2nd with Paulsen
6. Barmen (1869) – 1st
7. Baden-Baden (1870) – 1st ahead of Steinitiz (Anderssen won both games against Steinitz), Neumann, Blackburn, Paulsen, etc.

After this, age started to weaken him. His two best results in major tournaments were:

–> Vienna International (1873) – 3rd
–> Leipzig (1877) – Paulsen was 1st, Anderssen equal 2nd and 3rd with Zukertort

Anderssen’s Final Tournament and Death

His final tournament, Paris International (1878), had him in 6th place. He died of a heart attack in 1879 at the age of 60.

Attacking Combinations of Anderssen

Now let’s get started. Are you up for the ride? 🙂

Puzzle – 1

White’s queen and bishop are under attack. How should White proceed?

Puzzle – 2

White has a bishop pair advantage over Black’s knight pair. What should Black do now?

Puzzle – 3

Black is a pawn up, but how to win the game?

Puzzle – 4

White’s king is unsafe and it’s time for Black to fire. Can you find a way to do it?

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Puzzle – 5

Black has done a great job attacking the white king. Can you find the final blow?

Puzzle – 6

Should Black take the pawn on d6? What would you do?

Puzzle – 7

The opening stage is over. What should White do now?

After calculating all the answers, you can find the complete games below:

Did you enjoy this article? How many puzzles have you got right? 🙂 Please write in the comments below.