Answers.Body: <p>I talked to National Master Dan Heisman about this game and according to him, the answer is really very simple:</p>
  
  <p>At the time, black thought that <code>8...Na6</code> was the best move.  Black's intention was to control b4 and get to c5.  After that both sides played almost perfectly which resulted in a draw.</p>
  
  <p>It is also possible that the game was actually made up, but this is hard to prove 140 years later.</p>
  
  <p>Black probably would have played something else besides <code>8...Na6</code>, but with no computer analysis at the time, it was thought to be best.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-15T17:28:48.717Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-06-12T01:22:09.370Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2012-06-12T01:22:09.370Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: xaisoft
Body: <p>From the other question: <a href="https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/346/is-there-a-perfect-game">Is there a &quot;perfect&quot; game?</a> , an interesting game came up:</p>
  
  <pre><code>[fen ""]
  [title "Hamppe-Meitner, Vienna"]
  
  1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Na4 Bxf2+ 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.Ke3 Qf4+ 6.Kd3 d5 7.Kc3 Qxe4 
  8.Kb3 Na6 9.a3 Qxa4+ 10.Kxa4 Nc5+ 11.Kb4 a5+ 12.Kxc5 Ne7 13.Bb5+ Kd8 14.
  Bc6 b6+ 15.Kb5 Nxc6 16.Kxc6 Bb7+ 17.Kb5 Ba6+ 18.Kc6 Bb7+ 1/2-1/2
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>My question is, why is <code>8...Na6</code> considered the best move? References to GM analysis would be great. </p>
  
  <p>Stockfish says <code>8...Nc6</code> is better--in fact, <code>8...Na6</code> is not even on the top 10 recommended moves. And I can see even in the short term that the knight on c6 instead of a6 might be nice: consider <code>...Na5+</code>.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-08-03T05:02:15.267Z
Comments.Text: I don't know any beginners who would play `9. ... Qxa4+` (at least with a good reason) or who would play out the rest of the game as it went (on either side).
Comments.UserDisplayName: ETD
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-05-15T12:14:48.627Z
Comments.Text: It looks like a game beginners would play.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-09-17T07:23:30.800Z
Comments.Text: Since it is an "Immortal" game, the players deserve to be named. This game is Hamppe-Meitner, Vienna, circa 1890 (I don't know the year by heart)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Evargalo
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2018-09-19T14:32:48.773Z
Comments.Text: It's a pretty terrible game, to be honest.  If it was played today, nobody would give it a second look, but in the 19th century they liked flashy nonsense.
Comments.UserDisplayName: ddq1708
Tags: <analysis><master-games>
Title: Why 8...Na6 was played in the immortal draw?
ThreadText: # Why 8...Na6 was played in the immortal draw?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2012-05-15)
  
  From the other question: [Is there a "perfect" game?](https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/346/is-there-a-perfect-game) , an interesting game came up:
  
  ```
  [fen ""]
  [title "Hamppe-Meitner, Vienna"]
  
  1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Na4 Bxf2+ 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.Ke3 Qf4+ 6.Kd3 d5 7.Kc3 Qxe4 
  8.Kb3 Na6 9.a3 Qxa4+ 10.Kxa4 Nc5+ 11.Kb4 a5+ 12.Kxc5 Ne7 13.Bb5+ Kd8 14.
  Bc6 b6+ 15.Kb5 Nxc6 16.Kxc6 Bb7+ 17.Kb5 Ba6+ 18.Kc6 Bb7+ 1/2-1/2
  
  ```
  
  My question is, why is `8...Na6` considered the best move? References to GM analysis would be great.
  
  Stockfish says `8...Nc6` is better--in fact, `8...Na6` is not even on the top 10 recommended moves. And I can see even in the short term that the knight on c6 instead of a6 might be nice: consider `...Na5+`.
  
  **Tags:** analysis, master-games
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_2**: It looks like a game beginners would play.  
  > **username_1**: I don't know any beginners who would play `9. ... Qxa4+` (at least with a good reason) or who would play out the rest of the game as it went (on either side).  
  > **username_3**: Since it is an "Immortal" game, the players deserve to be named. This game is Hamppe-Meitner, Vienna, circa 1890 (I don't know the year by heart)  
  > **username_4**: It's a pretty terrible game, to be honest.  If it was played today, nobody would give it a second look, but in the 19th century they liked flashy nonsense.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2012-05-15. Score: 7 | Accepted answer
  
  I talked to National Master Dan Heisman about this game and according to him, the answer is really very simple:
  
  At the time, black thought that `8...Na6` was the best move. Black's intention was to control b4 and get to c5. After that both sides played almost perfectly which resulted in a draw.
  
  It is also possible that the game was actually made up, but this is hard to prove 140 years later.
  
  Black probably would have played something else besides `8...Na6`, but with no computer analysis at the time, it was thought to be best.
  
  
  ---
  
  