Chess sacrifices: giving material away on purpose
The difference between a sacrifice and a blunder is that a sacrifice has been counted. Everything below is about the counting.
- 120 positions in the course
- Difficulty 564–2382
- Section: Sacrifices and Quiet Moves
- 5 levels
What a sacrifice actually buys
A sacrifice gives up material for something that is not material: the king's cover, an open file, a square for a knight, or simply the moves the opponent has to spend accepting it. It only works if what you get is convertible before the extra piece starts to matter.
The positions in this course are almost all what is called a sound sacrifice -- one with a forced continuation. That is deliberate. Speculative sacrifices are a real part of chess but they cannot be drilled, because there is no single correct answer to check against.
How to spot it
- Look at the squares in front of the enemy king first: h7, g7, f7, h2, g2, f2. Most sound sacrifices in club chess land there.
- Count what happens after the capture. If you cannot see a forcing move for each of the opponent's replies, you are guessing.
- Ask what the sacrifice removes. A defender, a pawn shield, a flight square, a tempo -- if the answer is none of those, it is a donation.
- Check whether the sacrifice can be declined, and whether declining is better for them. Many sacrifices are only good if accepted.
Three sacrifices to find
Three positions from the 120 in this skill, easiest first. The highlighted squares are the move your opponent has just played. Work it out before you open the answer.
Position 1
Black to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
28.Rxc3 28...Rd1+ 29.Bxd1 29...Rf1#
The line ends in checkmate. The material given up buys a forcing sequence, and the sequence is what the position is really about.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 564 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 2
White to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
21...Ne7 22.Rb6+ axb6 23.Rxb6#
The line ends in checkmate. The material given up buys a forcing sequence, and the sequence is what the position is really about.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1323 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 3
White to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
19...Ne2+ 20.Rxe2 Rxe2 21.Qb5
The line comes out level on material and ahead on position. The material given up buys a forcing sequence, and the sequence is what the position is really about.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 1910 for difficulty. The answer reaches a clear advantage.
When not to sacrifice
If your attack needs one more piece and you sacrifice now, you are not attacking, you are down a piece. Count attackers and defenders on the squares round the king before you commit, and if the count is level, the sacrifice almost certainly does not work.
The other reliable warning is that you cannot find a second forcing move after the capture. A sacrifice whose follow-up is a quiet developing move is a sacrifice that has already failed.
Questions people ask
What is a sacrifice in chess?
Deliberately giving up material in exchange for something else -- an attack, an open line, a tempo, or a forced mate. It differs from a blunder only in that the compensation has been calculated.
Is a sacrifice still a sacrifice if I get the material back?
By most definitions that is a combination rather than a true sacrifice. In practice the distinction rarely matters at the board: what matters is whether you have calculated to the point where the material returns.
How do I know if a sacrifice is sound?
You calculate the forced line to a point where you can evaluate it. If every one of the opponent's replies is met by another forcing move and the sequence ends in mate or in material regained, it is sound. If any branch ends with you needing a quiet move, it is not.
Nearby patterns
Sacrifices sits in Sacrifices and Quiet Moves. The rest of that section: