Greatest Queen Sacrifices (Volume 2)
Our first volume covered the most famous queen sacrifices in history. This second collection features modern games, rapid and blitz brilliancies, and lesser-known masterpieces that deserve wider recognition.
Modern brilliancies
Wei Yi vs. Bruzon, Danzhou 2015: Three consecutive piece sacrifices from a 16-year-old, culminating in a queen sacrifice that forces an unstoppable mating attack. The game was immediately compared to the Immortal Game.
Aronian vs. Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2013: A double bishop sacrifice leads to a position where the queen sacrifice is the natural conclusion, the queen is "cheap" compared to the resulting mating net.
Caruana vs. Ponomariov, Dortmund 2014: A positional queen sacrifice for a dominant knight and passed pawns. The queen is given up not for immediate checkmate but for long-term structural domination.
Rapid and blitz gems
- Carlsen vs. Bu Xiangzhi, World Rapid 2019: A queen sacrifice in a rapid game that demonstrates Carlsen's tactical vision even at speed.
- Nakamura vs. Firouzja, Speed Chess 2021: Nakamura's queen sacrifice in a bullet game, calculated in under 5 seconds, objectively correct, and aesthetically beautiful.
- Firouzja vs. Carlsen, Titled Tuesday 2021: The young prodigy sacrifices his queen to demonstrate that the resulting position is objectively winning with two minor pieces and a rook.
The patterns behind queen sacrifices
Queen sacrifices follow recurring patterns:
- Deflection, the queen sacrifice forces a defender away from a critical square.
- Decoy, the queen lures the king to a vulnerable position.
- Clearance, the queen sacrifice removes a piece from a critical square or line.
- Exchange, the queen is "sacrificed" for two rooks and a minor piece, which is often materially equivalent.
Practise recognising these patterns in puzzle training and study more in our pattern library.