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Classic game replay

Johannes Hermann Zukertort vs Adolf Anderssen, 1864

This replay preserves the complete 54-ply score of Anderssen playing Black across 27 numbered moves. The board can be advanced one ply at a time; the notes stick to observable board changes rather than guessing at the players’ intentions.

On this page
  1. Practice positions
  2. Replay with move-by-move board facts
  3. PGN
  4. Sources and checking
  5. Continue with another game
White
Johannes Hermann Zukertort
Black
Adolf Anderssen
Event
Breslau m
Year
1864
Result
0-1
Opening
C65 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense

Opening reference: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense (C65).

In this game, 20 half-moves are labelled opening, 30 middlegame and 4 endgame. The score contains 15 captures and 2 checks or mates; before a recorded move, the position offered a median of 35 legal choices. The source score ends after 27...Bh3 with the recorded result 0-1. Its termination tag was not retained, so this record does not infer whether the game ended by resignation, time or another cause.

Practice positions

The daily trainer uses a short set of positions from this complete score. Each link goes to the exact half-move rather than only the numbered move.

  1. 7...Nc5 — Improve the knight7...Nc5 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  2. 16...d5 — Create pressure on e416...d5 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  3. 21...Ng5 — Create pressure on f321...Ng5 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  4. 24...Nxf3+ — Capture with check on f324...Nxf3+ was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.

Replay with move-by-move board facts

The board, fact panel and transcript use the same legal score. “Fixed engine check” means Stockfish 17.1, one thread, a fixed 25,000-node search and 3 candidate lines. It compares moves under one reproducible setting; it does not claim to reconstruct a player’s thoughts.

Johannes Hermann Zukertort vs Adolf Anderssen, 1864

Start position

Use Previous and Next on the board, or select a move in the transcript. The board fact and fixed engine check remain visible until you choose another move.

Opening · 1.e4 to 10...a6

  1. 1.e4 Claim central space

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from e2 to e4; from there it controls d5 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6.

  2. 1...e5 Claim central space

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from e7 to e5; from there it controls d4 and f4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e5 Nf3 Nc6 d4.

  3. 2.Nf3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from g1 to f3; from f3 it attacks Black's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf3 Nc6 d4 exd4.

  4. 2...Nc6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from b8 to c6; from there it controls d4 and e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc6 d4 exd4 Nxd4.

  5. 3.Bb5 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from f1 to b5; from b5 it attacks Black's knight on c6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bb5 a6.

  6. 3...Nf6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from g8 to f6; from f6 it attacks White's pawn on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf6 O-O Nxe4 Re1.

  7. 4.O-O Kingside castling

    Board fact: White castles kingside, moving the king to g1 and the rook to f1. The move changes king safety and develops the rook in one turn.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · O-O Nxe4.

  8. 4...Be7 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from f8 to e7; from there it controls c5, d6 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Be7 Re1 Nd4 Nxd4.

  9. 5.d4 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from d2 to d4; the move changes the central pawn contact; from d4 it attacks Black's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d4 exd4 e5 Ne4.

  10. 5...exd4 Exchange on d4

    Board fact: Black's pawn takes the pawn on d4; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the d-file; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · exd4 e5 Ne4 Re1.

  11. 6.e5 Create pressure on f6

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from e4 to e5; from e5 it attacks Black's knight on f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e5 Ne4 Re1 Nc5.

  12. 6...Ne4 Create pressure on f2

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from f6 to e4; from e4 it attacks White's pawn on f2.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ne4 Re1 Nc5 c3.

  13. 7.Re1 Create pressure on e4

    Board fact: White moves the rook from f1 to e1; from e1 it attacks Black's knight on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Re1 Nc5 c3 dxc3.

  14. 7...Nc5 Improve the knight

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from e4 to c5; from there it controls e4, d3 and e6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc5 c3.

  15. 8.Nxd4 Exchange on d4

    Board fact: White's knight takes the pawn on d4; from d4 it attacks Black's knight on c6; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxd4 Nxd4 Qxd4 O-O.

  16. 8...Nxd4 Recapture on d4

    Board fact: Black's knight recaptures the knight on d4; from d4 it attacks White's bishop on b5 and White's pawn on c2; black is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxd4 Qxd4 O-O Nc3.

  17. 9.Qxd4 Recapture on d4

    Board fact: White's queen recaptures the knight on d4; from d4 it attacks Black's knight on c5 and Black's pawn on d7; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxd4 O-O Nc3 c6.

  18. 9...O-O Kingside castling

    Board fact: Black castles kingside, moving the king to g8 and the rook to f8. The move changes king safety and develops the rook in one turn.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · O-O Nc3 c6 Bf1.

  19. 10.Nc3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from b1 to c3; from there it controls d5 and e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc3 c6 Bf1 d6.

  20. 10...a6 Create pressure on b5

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from a7 to a6; from a6 it attacks White's bishop on b5.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; c6 ranked higher · a6 Bf1.

Middlegame · 11.Bc4 to 25...Qxe3

  1. 11.Bc4 Create pressure on a6

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from b5 to c4; from c4 it attacks Black's pawn on a6 and Black's pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Bc4 b5 Bf1 Bb7.

  2. 11...b5 Create pressure on c4

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from b7 to b5; from b5 it attacks White's bishop on c4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · b5 Bf1 Bb7 Nd5.

  3. 12.Bd5 Create pressure on a8

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from c4 to d5; from d5 it attacks Black's rook on a8 and Black's pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Bd5 c6.

  4. 12...c6 Create pressure on d5

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from c7 to c6; from c6 it attacks White's bishop on d5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c6 Ne4 cxd5 Nxc5.

  5. 13.Bf3 Create pressure on c6

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from d5 to f3; from f3 it attacks Black's pawn on c6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bf3 Ne6 Qd1 Qc7.

  6. 13...Ne6 Create pressure on d4

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from c5 to e6; from e6 it attacks White's queen on d4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ne6 Qd3 Qc7 Be4.

  7. 14.Qd3 Create pressure on b5

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d4 to d3; from d3 it attacks Black's pawn on b5 and Black's pawn on d7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qd3 Qc7.

  8. 14...f5 Advance the f-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from f7 to f5; from there it controls e4.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Qc7 ranked higher · f5 a4.

  9. 15.exf6 Exchange on f6

    Board fact: White's pawn takes the pawn on f6; the move changes the central pawn contact; White accepts doubled pawns on the f-file; from f6 it attacks Black's bishop on e7 and Black's pawn on g7; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · exf6 Bxf6 Be4 h6.

  10. 15...Bxf6 Recapture on f6

    Board fact: Black's bishop recaptures the pawn on f6; from f6 it attacks White's knight on c3; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxf6 Be4 h6 Be3.

  11. 16.Ne4 Create pressure on f6

    Board fact: White moves the knight from c3 to e4; from e4 it attacks Black's bishop on f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ne4 d5.

  12. 16...d5 Create pressure on e4

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from d7 to d5; from d5 it attacks White's knight on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d5 Nxf6+.

  13. 17.Nxf6+ Capture with check on f6

    Board fact: White's knight takes the bishop on f6; the move checks Black's king; from f6 it attacks Black's pawn on d5 and Black's pawn on h7; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxf6+ Qxf6 c3 Ng5.

  14. 17...Qxf6 Recapture on f6

    Board fact: Black's queen recaptures the knight on f6; from f6 it attacks White's bishop on f3 and White's pawn on b2; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxf6 c3.

  15. 18.c3 Advance the c-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from c2 to c3; from there it controls d4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c3 Ng5 Bxg5 Qxg5.

  16. 18...Bd7 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from c8 to d7; from there it controls c6 and e6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bd7.

  17. 19.Be3 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from c1 to e3; from there it controls d4, c5 and f4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Be3 Nf4 Qd2 Nh3+.

  18. 19...Rae8 Rook on the open e-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from a8 to e8; the rook now occupies the open e-file; from there it controls e6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rae8 Qd2 Nf4 Bd4.

  19. 20.Bd4 Create pressure on f6

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from e3 to d4; from d4 it attacks Black's queen on f6.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Bd4 Qg5 Kh1 h6.

  20. 20...Qh4 Create pressure on d4

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from f6 to h4; from h4 it attacks White's bishop on d4 and White's pawn on f2.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Qh4 Re3.

  21. 21.Be5 Create pressure on g7

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from d4 to e5; from e5 it attacks Black's pawn on g7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Be5 Ng5.

  22. 21...Ng5 Create pressure on f3

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from e6 to g5; from g5 it attacks White's bishop on f3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ng5 Bg3.

  23. 22.Bg3 Create pressure on h4

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from e5 to g3; from g3 it attacks Black's queen on h4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bg3 Rxe1+ Rxe1 Nxf3+.

  24. 22...Qh6 Create pressure on h2

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from h4 to h6; from h6 it attacks White's pawn on h2.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qh6 Rxe8 Rxe8 Be2.

  25. 23.Re3 Rook on the open e-file

    Board fact: White moves the rook from e1 to e3; the rook now occupies the open e-file; from e3 it attacks Black's rook on e8.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Be2 ranked higher · Re3 Rxe3 Qxe3 Nxf3+.

  26. 23...Rxe3 Exchange on e3

    Board fact: Black's rook takes the rook on e3; the rook now occupies the open e-file; from e3 it attacks White's queen on d3 and White's bishop on f3; black is ahead by 5 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxe3 Qxe3.

  27. 24.Qxe3 Recapture on e3

    Board fact: White's queen recaptures the rook on e3; from e3 it attacks Black's knight on g5; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxe3.

  28. 24...Nxf3+ Capture with check on f3

    Board fact: Black's knight takes the bishop on f3; the move checks White's king; from f3 it attacks White's pawn on h2; black is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nxf3+ gxf3.

  29. 25.gxf3 Recapture on f3

    Board fact: White's pawn recaptures the knight on f3; the move changes the central pawn contact; White accepts doubled pawns on the f-file; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · gxf3 Qxe3 fxe3 Rxf3.

  30. 25...Qxe3 Exchange on e3

    Board fact: Black's queen takes the queen on e3; from e3 it attacks White's pawn on c3 and White's pawn on f2; black is ahead by 9 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxe3 fxe3 Rxf3 Kg2.

Endgame · 26.fxe3 to 27...Bh3

  1. 26.fxe3 Recapture on e3

    Board fact: White's pawn recaptures the queen on e3; the move changes the central pawn contact; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · fxe3 Rxf3 Kg2 Rxe3.

  2. 26...Rxf3 Exchange on f3

    Board fact: Black's rook takes the pawn on f3; the rook now occupies the open f-file; from f3 it attacks White's bishop on g3 and White's pawn on e3; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxf3 Kg2 Rxe3 Re1.

  3. 27.Re1 Improve the rook

    Board fact: White moves the rook from a1 to e1; from there it controls e3.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Kg2 ranked higher · Re1 Bh3.

  4. 27...Bh3 Reposition the bishop

    Board fact: Black moves the bishop from d7 to h3; from there it controls e6 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bh3 e4 dxe4 Bf2.

PGN

[Event "Breslau m"] [Site "?"] [Date "1864.??.??"] [White "Zukertort, Johannes Hermann"] [Black "Anderssen, Adolf"] [Result "0-1"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Be7 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 Ne4 7. Re1 Nc5 8. Nxd4 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 O-O 10. Nc3 a6 11. Bc4 b5 12. Bd5 c6 13. Bf3 Ne6 14. Qd3 f5 15. exf6 Bxf6 16. Ne4 d5 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. c3 Bd7 19. Be3 Rae8 20. Bd4 Qh4 21. Be5 Ng5 22. Bg3 Qh6 23. Re3 Rxe3 24. Qxe3 Nxf3+ 25. gxf3 Qxe3 26. fxe3 Rxf3 27. Re1 Bh3 0-1

Sources and checking

Score source: Chess Database, version 1 by Ana Schaigorodsky (2016), licensed under CC BY 4.0. LibreChess selected the exact score identified by sha256:7d42ded008cf09e7ba1315d5fed6a56ce534979729fb0baf20ee9fad685c7d33 and pins it in the selection manifest.
Exact Figshare tags:
White="Zukertort, Johannes Hermann"; Black="Anderssen, Adolf"; Event="Breslau m"; Date="1864.??.??"; Result="0-1". LibreChess parsed the main line with chess.js and stores normalised SAN. Source comments, side variations and termination detail were not retained.

LibreChess checks every SAN move with chess.js and compares the result and move sequence with a stored reference. The engine comparison was calculated offline from the fixed settings above; it is not a source for historical claims. No termination is inferred where the imported score does not preserve one.

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