"The Chess Games of Adolph Anderssen," Edited by Sid Pickard,
1996 Pickard & Son Publishers, English Algebraic Notation,
Softcover, 349pp., $24.95

There can be no doubt that the last few years in chess publishing
have seen a surge in the reprinting of out-of-print classics. Batsford
has re-issued books that were originally released with English
Descriptive Notation, converted the books to Figurine Algebraic,
and brought in the analytical services of GM John Nunn to correct
and revise where he deems necessary. For the most part, it appears
that this formula has worked well, the alleged problems with
Fischer's "My 60 Memorable Games" notwithstanding.

Pickard & Son Publishers have taken a slightly different course. It
has published books (with, as far as we can tell, only one
exception) that are in effect compilations of existing material,
bringing this material together for the first time, at least for the
modern chessplayer. "The Games of Wilhelm Steinitz," "Hastings
1895" and "The Puzzle King" (reviewed...) being cases in point.
The latest release is in the same genre.

Almost every chessplayer is familiar with the splendid Immortal
and Evergreen games produced by Anderssen. Be that as it may,
the great German master Adolph Anderssen is not as well known
or appreciated in today's modern chess world for several reasons.
The most significant reason is probably that there have been only
two publications that have chronicled his career - von Gottschall's
"Adolph Anderssen, der Altmeister deutscher Schachspielkunst"
(1912) and Pollak's compilation in the "Weltgeschichte des
Schachs" series (1963). The release of Pickard's "The Chess Games
of Adolph Anderssen" fills this void.

This collection of 897 games appears to be the largest compilation
to date, eclipsing von Gottschall (787 games) and Pollak (604
games). The book is divided into two primary sections -
Anderssen's Match and Tournament games and his informal
games. These are supplemented by the eighty problems Anderssen
composed early in his career and an English translation of the great
master's lengthy obituary.

The publisher has essentially lifted the notes of the old masters (it
freely admits this and these undoubtedly are in the public domain,
so nothing untoward should be inferred) and apparently added
notes by FM Ron Burnett. The short list of annotators and the keys
to its use in the back of the book is awkward to use and not much
help. The reader is left wondering who wrote what and when.
These notes have been rendered in Informant-style shorthand;
regardless of their source, they are a welcome addition.

Two games played by Adolph Anderssen at the Hamburg Chess
Congress, July 25-August 2, 1869, where he finished first. Both, of
course, are from the book. We present the second just to show you
that not everything was cut and slash with Herr Anderssen...

Anderssen-Minckwitz 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 d3
d6 6 Bxc6+ bxc6 7 h3 h6!? 8 Nc3 c5 9 Be3 g6?! (9...Be7) 10 Qd2
Bg7 11 g4 Rb8 (11...Be6!) 12 b3 Be6 13 Nh2 Nd7 (better is
13...h5 14 g5 Nd7) Nb6 15 Ng3 Qh4 16 Nce2 17 f3 c6 18 h4 d5?
(x c5) 19 Qa5 d4 20 Bc1 Bc8 21 h5 +- Qd6 22 g5 hxg5 23 Bxg5 f6
24 Bc1 gxh5 25 Nxh5 Bf8 26 N2g3 Rg8? (26...Kd8) 27 Ba3
(followed by 28 Kf2; 29 Ragl +-, xg8, f6) 27...Kd8 28 Kf2 Kc7 29
Ragl Rg5?! (29...Be7; 29  Rg6!?) 30 Nf5 Bxf5 31 Rxg5 fxg5 32
exf5 Kb7 33 Ng3! Ng7 34 Ne4 Qe7 (34...Qc7 35 Qxc7+ Kxc7 36
Rh7 Kc8 37 Bc1+-; 37 Nxg5) (See Diagram) 35 Bxc5!! Nxc5
(35...Qf7 36 Bxf8 Qxf8 37 Rh7 Rd8 [37...Kc8 38 Qxa6+ Kd8 39
Qxc6 Qe8 40 Nf6 +- ] 38 Nc5+ Kc8 39 Qxa6+ Kc7 40 Qb7+ +-;
35...Qg7 36 Bxf8 Rxf8 37 Nd6+ Kb8 38 Qxa6 Kc7 39 Nc4 Rxf5
40 Qa5+ Kb8 41 Qd8+ Ka7 42 Rh8 +-) 36 Nxc5+ Qxc5 (36...Kc8
37 Qxa6+ Kd8 [37...Kc7 38 Rh7! Qxh7 39 Qa7+ +-; 37...Rb7 38
Qa8+ Rb8 39 Qxc6+ Qc7 40 Qe6+ Kd8 41 Qd5+ Ke8 42 Rh8 +-]
38 Ne6+ Ke8 39 Qxc6+ +-) 37 Rh7+ Qe7 (37...Be7? 38 Qxc5) 38
Rxe7+ Bxe7 39 Qxe5, 1-0

Zukertort-Anderssen 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4
exd4 6 cxd4 Bb4+ 7 Bd2 Bxd2+ 8 N1xd2 d5 9 exd5 Nxd5 10 Qb3
N6e7 11 0-0 0-0 12 Rfe1 c6 13 Ne5 f6 14 Nd3 Kh8 15 Nc5 Qd6!?
(15...Qc7) 16 Bxd5 Nxd5 17 Nc4 (17 Nxb7? Qf4 18 Nc4 Rb8 19
N4d6 Bxb7 20 Nxb7 Qc7 -+) Qc7 18 Qf3 Bd7 19 Qg3 (19 Re4!?)
Qxg3 (19...Rac8? 20 Nd6 Rb8 21 Re7! Nxe7 22 Nf7+ Rxf7 23
Qxc7 +-) 20 hxg3 Bc8 21 Nd6 b6 22 Na4?! (22 Ne6! +=) Bg4 23
Nc3 (23 f3!) Rad8 24 Nxd5 Rxd6 25 Nb4 a5 26 Nc2 Be6! = 27 b3
Kg8 28 Rac1 Kf7 29 f3 Rc8 30 Re3 (30 Kf2!) c5 31 Rc3 c4! =+ 32
Ne3?! (32 bxc4) (See Diagram) 32...cxb3! 33 Rxc8 Bxc8 34 axb3
Be6-+ 35 Rc7+ Kg6 36 f4! f5! (36...Rxd4? 37 f5+ Bxf5 38 Rxg7+
Kxg7 39 Nxf5+ Kg6 40 Nxd4+-; 36...Bxb3? 37 g4 Rxd4 38 Nf5+-
) 37 d5 Bxd5 38 Nxd5 Rxd5 39 Rc6+ Kh5 40 Rxb6 Kg4 41 Rb7
g6! (41...Kxg3 42 Rxg7+ Kxf4 43 Rxh7=; 41...g5 42 Kh2 h6 43
Rh7 Rd3 44 Rxh6 Rxg3 [44...Rxb3? 45 Rg6 Kh5 46 Rxg5+ Kh6
47 Rxf5+-] 45 fxg5 Kxg5 46 Ra6 Rxb3 47 Rxa5=) 42 Kh2 Rd3 43
Rxh7 Rxg3 44 Ra7 Rxb3 45 Rxa5 Kxf4 46 Ra4+ Kg5, 0-1

This book has a lot to recommend it. First and foremost, it gets the
great Anderssen's wonderful games to the chessplaying public in
an easy-to-read format, with annotations - and more games,
apparently, than hitherto presented by anyone anywhere. You will
be disappointed if you are looking for biographical information on
the mild-mannered professor or if you even seek some background
about his tournament performances. The book does not promise or
deliver any such material. But if you want to savor some of the
most brilliant, slashing attacks ever unleashed by a master in the
romantic style, dressed up with a few insightful annotations, this is
the book for you.