Sacrifice
A sacrifice is the voluntary giving up of material for compensation in the form of positional advantage, attack, or checkmate.
Types of Sacrifices
Tactical Sacrifice
Concrete calculation leads to material gain or checkmate.
Positional Sacrifice
Material is given for long-term positional compensation.
Temporary Sacrifice
Material is regained after a few moves.
Permanent Sacrifice
Material is given up for lasting compensation.
Common Sacrifice Patterns
- Greek Gift: Bxh7+ sacrifice
- Exchange Sacrifice: Rook for minor piece
- Queen Sacrifice: The most dramatic sacrifice
- Pawn Sacrifice: For development or attack
Reasons to Sacrifice
Opening Lines
Sacrifice to open files and diagonals for attack.
Exposing the King
Remove defenders or expose the enemy king.
Gaining Time
Sacrifice for rapid development or initiative.
Destroying Pawn Structure
Ruin the opponent's pawn formation.
Calculating Sacrifices
- Calculate all forcing sequences
- Evaluate the compensation
- Check for defensive resources
- Verify the sacrifice achieves the goal
Types of Compensation
- Attack: Overwhelming attacking chances
- Development: Significant lead in development
- Position: Superior piece placement
- Initiative: Maintaining the initiative
Famous Sacrifices
Chess history is filled with brilliant sacrifices:
- Immortal Game (Anderssen)
- Evergreen Game (Anderssen)
- Opera Game (Morphy)
- Kasparov's sacrifices
Practice Tips
- Study classic sacrificial games
- Calculate forcing sequences
- Evaluate compensation accurately
- Practice sacrifice puzzles
Sacrifices are the most exciting and beautiful aspect of chess.
Famous sacrifice patterns: greek-gift-sacrifice, deflection, attraction, clearance