When Does The Greek Gift Sacrifice Make Sense?

In chess, the “Greek Gift” sacrifice refers to the sacrifice of a bishop against a king who has castled short - on either h7 (against the castled Black king) or h2 (against the castled White king).

Since the defending king can capture the bishop, they will have gained a bishop and only lost a pawn. Every chess player knows that a bishop is worth more than a pawn - so at first sight, this seems to be a bad trade from the attacker’s point of view.

Indeed, the Greek Gift sacrifice isn’t always a good idea. If the defending king can capture the bishop without significant consequences, then the player making the sacrifice will probably end up losing the game.

Strong players only make the Greek Gift under the right conditions.

By reading this article, you will gain a better understanding of what are “right conditions”.

• You will be better-equipped to make this chess sacrifice correctly in your own games as the attacker and
• You will become more alert to the danger signs so that you can avoid falling prey to the Greek Gift as the defender! You will also be more aware of the potential defensive resources at your disposal so that in case your opponent makes an incorrect sacrifice, you can punish them for it.

So, let’s now take a look at the main situations when this sacrifice can occur and the conditions under which it “works.”

The Attacker Can Immediately Recover The Material

The simplest case of a “correct” bishop sacrifice on h7 (or h2, for Black) is when the attacker can recover the sacrificed material very quickly. We might put this sort of sacrifice under the general category of “chess tactics”.An example is below, with White to move.

The bishop sacrifice on h7 works here because: Black’s queen is on the same open file as a White rook.

Due to the fact that the bishop sacrifice comes with check, it doesn’t matter how Black responds to Bxh7+. Next move, White can play Rxd8, picking up the Black queen. Thanks to this decisive gain in material, White is clearly winning.

It is unlikely that an experienced chess player would allow such a simple tactic in a serious game - but you never know!

Let’s have a look at a more complex example, again with White to move:

The Greek Gift works here because: White has a useful follow-up check against Black’s king, which (through the bishop sacrifice) has been drawn to the h7 square.

After Bxh7+ and Kxh7, White can play Qd3+. This move simultaneously gives check to Black’s king, while also adding an extra attacker to Black’s under-defended bishop on d6.

No matter how Black replies to Qd3+, White can play Qxd6 next move - capturing Black’s dark-squared bishop and therefore regaining the piece which White sacrificed earlier. Once the dust has settled, White emerges with an extra pawn.

Greek Sacrifice: The Bishop Demise Leads To A Mating Attack

The classic use of the Greek Gift sacrifice is to begin a mating attack against the enemy king. Checkmate wins the game, so if we can achieve it, it doesn’t matter how much material is lost along the way!

In this section, we will study the sacrifice from White’s point of view. Of course, the player can equally use the Greek Gift sacrifice with the Black pieces. Just adapt the squares appropriately.

Let’s now look at an example of a Greek Gift sacrifice in action. White to move.

After Bxh7+ and Kxh7, Black’s king is exposed on the h7 square.

White takes advantage of this by giving check with Ng5+. Black’s king doesn’t have many options. It chooses to head back to where it was before the Greek gift sacrifice - with Kg8.

But now White’s queen joins the action with Qh5! This isn’t a check, but the threat is deadly. Qh7# is coming next move, and Black doesn’t have any good way of stopping it.

Black could try Re8, attempting to create an escape square for the Black king. However, this fails because now White can make a different check: Qxf7+. This still leads to checkmate - analyze the position with the assistance of a computer if you are not convinced.

Actually, the only way that Black can prevent checkmate in this position is by capturing the supporting knight with Qxg5 - but this costs Black their queen. If the defender must give up decisive material to avoid checkmate, then the attack has still been successful.

Let us now return to the original position and look over some of the most important features that make the sacrifice effective. This will help us understand why (and when) the Greek Gift sacrifice works so we can be prepared to seize the opportunity in our own games.

1. White’s light-squared bishop points at h7

To make the sacrifice on h7, White’s bishop must be aiming at it. Therefore, the light-squared bishop being positioned somewhere on the b1-h7 diagonal is the first condition necessary for the Greek Gift sacrifice.

2. Apart from the king, Black has no protection over the h7 square

It is pretty common for Black to have a knight on f6 - a natural square for the kingside knight to develop. A knight on f6 would add extra protection to the critical h7 square. If that were the case, then Bxh7+ could be met with Nxf7, and the sacrifice would be completely ineffective. But here, Black’s knights are on the queenside, and h7 is only guarded by Black’s king.

Notice the important role the White pawn on e5 plays in preventing a Black knight from being on f6. For this reason, a pawn on e5 should have you on high alert for the possibility of the Greek Gift sacrifice.

3. White’s knight is on f3 and is able to jump to g5 immediately after the bishop sacrifice.

Ng5+ is an important follow-up move in the Greek Gift sacrifice. This would not be possible if Black had the g5 square covered (for example, if Black had their dark-squared bishop on e7, defending g5).

4. White’s queen can come to h5 next

The White queen is on its starting square: d1. This means that after Ng5+, White’s queen can swing over to h5 to create the mating threat on h7.

5. After White plays Qh5, Black cannot defend the h7 square next move.

This is the most overlooked part of the Greek Gift sacrifice. Because the move Qh5 is not a check, White is relying on the fact that Black doesn’t have a way of preventing the threat of Qh7#. If, in this position, Black could play a move such as Nf6, Nf8, or Bf5 (guarding h7 with an extra defender), then White’s mating attack would not succeed. In this case, Black doesn’t have any such move.

One final point

Earlier, we assumed that after Ng5+, the Black king would go back to g8. But what if Black instead plays Kg6? It looks very unnatural (and even suicidal!) for the king to step forwards to g6, instead of running back to g8 behind its own pawns where it looks safer.

However, Kg6 makes some sense. For one thing, it prevents Qh5. How should White continue?

If Black plays Kg6, White needs to employ a different plan. Ideas can include:

Qd3+: an immediate check - but watch out for the possibility of Black blocking with f5.
h4 -> h5+: getting the h-pawn to h5 gives a check, forcing the Black king to move away from the g6 square.
Qg4: creating the threat of a discovered check by moving the knight's next move.

The best plan depends on the position (here, h4 -> h5 is strongest). But sometimes, Kg6 can actually be the move that sees Black emerge with the advantage! So, when considering the Greek Gift, always ask yourself, “What if Kg6?”. Then, calculate it before making the bishop sacrifice.

3. The Sacrifice Causes Sufficient King Safety Problems

Even grandmasters can only sometimes calculate every sacrifice all the way to regaining the material or checkmating the enemy king.

The position may be too complicated for you to calculate whether the sacrifice “works” or not. In such cases, you must rely on your intuition.

Of course, making a sacrifice without fully calculating it is very risky. If your opponent can parry your attack, then their material advantage will eventually be telling.

Do your best to calculate that one move further. Don’t be lazy! Before making the sacrifice, try to foresee a position where you feel your position is clearly better, even with your opponent’s best replies. This may entail:

• A highly exposed enemy king.
• Your pieces are very active.
• Your opponent’s forces are uncoordinated or stranded on the wrong side of the board.

Greek Gift Sacrifice Rules of Thumb

Here are a few additional “rules of thumb” that can help tilt your decision one way or the other for those situations where you are considering making the Greek Gift sacrifice, but the position is too murky to calculate everything.

• Development advantage - sacrifices tend to work best when you have better development than your opponent. If most of their pieces are still on their starting squares, then you have extra time to carry out your attack.
• Enemy pieces are far from their king - a sacrifice to expose the enemy king is more likely to be dangerous when your opponent’s pieces are unable to quickly come to aid in the defense.
• You are losing the game anyway - the Greek Gift can also be employed out of sheer desperation. If you are already losing, then playing “normally” will likely see you get slowly steamrolled. In such cases, it is better to look for complications! If the Greek Gift sacrifice is your best chance at generating counterplay, go for it. You have nothing to lose if your position is already “lost”!

There is an old adage in chess that it is easier to attack than to defend.

If you cannot calculate everything, then your opponent probably cannot calculate everything either! You aren’t playing against a computer. Mistakes tend to happen when a player is under pressure. It is very possible to win a game with the Greek Gift, even if it is not “objectively” correct.

If you make the sacrifice incorrectly and end up losing, study your game afterward and try to understand why the sacrifice didn’t work and which moves you overlooked while you were playing.

Final Thoughts On The Greek Gift Sacrifice

The Greek Gift sacrifice is an essential tactical motif for every chess player to be aware of. Always be on the lookout for it. Like other chess tactics, it can win (or lose!) games on the spot.

Please remember: every position is different, and although the points covered in this article will be helpful, ultimately, the decision of whether or not to make the Greek Gift sacrifice must be backed up with your own calculation.