Schacksnack

In this lesson, I, IM Thomas Engqvist, continue exploring one of the most fascinating and often misunderstood ideas in chess:

how to use the king actively.

The game Anderssen–de Riviere, Paris 1858, provides an extraordinary example of just how far this concept can be taken.

Adolf Anderssen, true to his romantic and uncompromising style, begins with the Scotch Gambit and castles kingside. But then the game takes a remarkable turn as his opponent begins putting pressure on Anderssen’s weak point on h2.

What follows is truly extraordinary.

Anderssen boldly gives up the h2-pawn and then embarks on a seemingly impossible king manoeuvre. His king marches all the way from g1 to g8, despite heavy pieces still being on the board, eventually taking part in the final attack and helping to deliver checkmate to the Black king.

This spectacular game demonstrates a profound chess lesson:

the king does not always have to remain safely tucked away. Under the right circumstances, the king can become an active and decisive piece — even in the middlegame, and even when queens and rooks are still on the board.

The game also illustrates an important principle of active chess:

sometimes the king’s safety is not about keeping it far away from the action, but about understanding when the king itself can become an attacking piece.

This is one of the reasons why studying the games of the great players of the past is so valuable.

Anderssen’s play may look almost unbelievable from a modern perspective, but the underlying idea is both practical and deeply instructive.

In this lesson, we therefore look beyond the spectacular king march and examine why Anderssen’s king was able to become such a powerful force in the position.

♟️Join Chesslovers Advanced For only about $10 per month, you can get access to all videos in the Chesslovers Advanced membership channel, including all videos from Chesslovers Academy.

You will find a continuously growing collection of lessons covering openings, middlegames, endgames, strategy, famous games and deep positional concepts.

If you want to understand not only what move to play, but why great players play the way they do, Chesslovers Advanced is for you.