Trade pawns in the center to open up diagonals. The fewer pawns there are in the center, the more scope your bishops will have. Aiming both of your bishops at the opponent's king also increases the chance for tactical and mating combinations. Remember, without pawns in the center, enemy knights won't be able to use a centralized outpost.
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[Event "Casual Game"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1851.06.21"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anderssen, Adolf"]
[Black "Kieseritzky, Lionel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Hayes, David"]
[BlackElo "unknown"]
[ECO "C33"]
[TimeControl "0"]
[WhiteElo "unknown"]
{ This wonderful game was played just prior to the first international chess
tournament. The tournament was organized by the foremost player of his day,
Howard Staunton. The tournament coincided with the Great Exhibition in
London. It was 1851 at the height of England's imperial glory.|The
following casual game was played at a London cigar and coffee Divan called
Simpson's in the Strand. The place remains a favorite hang out for chess
devotees today.|The two players were very much different in personality.
Adolph Anderssen was a quiet friendly mathematician from Germany. Lionel
Kieseritzky was an irritable chess tutor from France.|The vanquished
Kieseritzky was so impressed by the brilliant execution of Anderssen's attack
that he telegraphed the moves of the game to his favorite haunt in France,
Cafe de la Regence. From then on, this game has come to be known as "The
Immortal Game." Sadly, the telegraph message seems lost to history, but an
abbreviated move list was later reported by Kieserisky in "La Regence" (1851,
pages 221-222).|The natural move order shown in this variation of the game
is commonly reported for its entertainment value, and is a popular - if not
historically accurate - move order of "The Immortal Game." It includes the
beautiful final combination that was not reported in Kieseritzky's "La
Regence" publication.|Enjoy. } 1. e4 { C33: King's Gambit Accepted: 3 Nc3
and 3 Bc4 } 1... e5 2. f4 { White offers a pawn to gain better development and
control of the center. } 2... exf4 3. Bc4 Qh4+ 4. Kf1 b5 $6 { Bryan's Counter
Gambit. A dubious gambit in modern times, but typical of the attacking style
of that time. Here black lures the bishop from it attacking diagonal against
the sensitive f7-pawn, and provides a diagonal for development of his own
bishop to b7 where it will bear down on white's king side. All this value for
the price of a pawn. } 5. Bxb5 Nf6 6. Nf3 Qh6 7. d3 Nh5 { The immediate, cheap,
and shallow threat of ... Ng3+ is not easily defended. } 8. Nh4 { The position
is sharp and getting sharper. } 8... Qg5 { Again, playing for cheap threats. In this
case, black attacks two pieces at once. } 9. Nf5 c6 { 9... g6 10. h4 Qf6 is
another complicated position for another day. } 10. g4 { A brilliant move made
with a steady hand. Note that white cares little for defensive moves, and is
always alert for attack. Now black plays to win the g4-pawn. } 10... Nf6 { Black
should have played 10... cxb5 11. gxh5 with a better game. } 11. Rg1 { Now
Anderssen sacrifices his bishop, the first of many sacrifices in this game.
White cares little for defensive moves, and plays always for the initiative. } 11... cxb5 12. h4 Qg6 13. h5 { White gets more space. } 13... Qg5 14. Qf3 { White now has
the ghastly threat of Bxf4 winning black's queen next. } 14... Ng8 { Black is forced
to clear a path of retreat for his queen by also retreating one of his only
developed pieces. } 15. Bxf4 Qf6 { Black should quickly develop his pieces. } 16. Nc3 Bc5 17. Nd5 { Inviting black to indulge his greed. Also good is 17. d4
Bf8 (17... Bxd4? 18. Nd5 when the knights savage the board.) 18. Be5. } 17... Qxb2 18. Bd6 Qxa1+ { And why not capture with check! This popular continuation is
probably not historically accurate. } 19. Ke2 { Now who can resist the tender
morsel on g1, but resist he must. } 19... Bxg1 { Black is just too greedy. He has too
few pieces developed, and what is developed is sent to the far corners of the
board. Now it is white's turn to play. Black may have won after 19... Qb2 (to
guard against Nxg7+) 20. Rc1 g6 21. Bxc5 gxf5 (not 21... Qxc1 22. Nd6+ Kd8
23. Nxf7+ Ke8 24. Nc7#). } 20. e5 { Slipping the noose around the neck of the
black King. } 20... Na6 { Perhaps 20... Ba6 would have put up more resistance by
giving black's king more room to run. } 21. Nxg7+ Kd8 { And now the time has
come for a final combination for mate. Do you see it? } 22. Qf6+ $1 { A final
beautiful sacrifice of white's last major piece that ends the game. } 22... Nxf6 { A
deflection. } 23. Be7# 1-0