Tactical motifs
Sacrifice
Give up material now to win more — or to mate — later.
What is the sacrifice?
A sacrifice is a deliberate gift of material in exchange for something worth more: a mating attack, a decisive fork two moves later, a pawn that queens, or a position the opponent cannot hold. The point is the follow-up, not the offer.
Why the sacrifice matters
Sacrifices are where chess stops being arithmetic and starts being calculation. Almost every brilliancy turns on one, and the ability to give material back at the right moment is what lets strong players finish attacks that weaker players never convert.
How to use it to win
Sacrifice with a concrete reason, never on faith: a forcing sequence you can calculate to the end, or a clear, lasting weakness you can point to. The most reliable kinds come with check after check, leaving the defender no time to consolidate.
A concrete example
The Greek-gift bishop sacrifice on h7 (Bxh7+) is the gateway sac every attacker should know — it rips open a castled king with a forced king march.
Try an example puzzle
A real sacrifice puzzle from the app. White to move — find the idea, then reveal the line.
8 
7 
4 3 c e 
g Show solution
1. Qxh7+ Kxh7 2. Rh4#
Drill the sacrifice on thousands of real puzzles, matched to your rating.