The year 1851 marked the beginning of a new era in chess. Instead of analysis, casual games and match play, the first international tournament was held in London. It was a 16 player knockput tournament and Adolph Anderssen of Berlin won it.
In 1852, when the following game was played Anderssen was the best player in the world ahead of such players as Tassilo von der Lasa, Henry Buckle. Josef Szen, Elijah William Johann Lowenthal and Howard Staunton.
Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (1818-1879, 60 years old) was born in Breslau and was one of the strongest players of his day and was generally considered to be the World Champion after his victory in the London tournament.
In 1858 he was defeated by Paul Morphy who the assumed the title. When Morphy retied a year later Anderssen regain his reputation as the world's leading player, a position he held until he lost a match to Steinitz in 1866.
As a Romantic, his sacrificial attacks are legendary, but in some games his play was strikingly modern, for example in his handling of the Sicilian Defense as black. His odd Anderssen Opening 1.a3 was designed as a way of reaching the Sicilian with colors reversed (i.e. 1.a3 e5 2.c4).
His opponent in this game was Jean Dufresne (1829-1893). a German player and problem composer. He was a student of Anderssen and is probably best remember for losing the Evergreen game to him in 1852.
Dufresne was born and died in Berlin and was the son of a wealthy Jewish businessman, He attended law school, but was forced to abandon his studies when his father ran into financial difficulties. He subsequently became a journalist.
Dufresne was an unsuccessful novelist under the pseudonym E. S. Freund, but wrote several successful chess books including one on Morphy.
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