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TacticsPlay as white

Sacrifice and King Attack

Give up material to strip the pawns off a castled king — then mate it.

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Introduction

A castled king is protected by three pawns and whatever pieces stand nearby. An attack works by removing them, and the cheapest way to remove a pawn is to give it something it must capture. A sacrifice is not a gamble when you can see the mate — it is just arithmetic with a different currency.

Lesson Content

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White's queen on h5 wants h7, where the pawn on g6 would defend her. The black king on g8 has only f8 — taken by its own rook — and h8. The one thing in the way is the black pawn on g7, which covers h6 and f6. Remove it and the queen lands on h7 defended — checkmate, with nothing able to take her.

King Attack
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1. ..Nf6+

The knight lands on f6 with check and offers itself to the g7-pawn. Whatever Black does, the pawn shield around the king falls apart — 1. ..gxf6 drags the last pawn off g7, and Qh7 is then mate.

SacrificeKing Attack
Alternative Moves
gxf7+ — A check that helps Black: after 1...Rxf7 a defender lands on the seventh rank, the mate on h7 never happens, and it is White who has to worry about the black queen on e4.
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2. Qh7#

Checkmate. The pawn on g6 defends the queen, the black rook on f8 blocks the king's last square, and the knight and queen Black owns are simply too far away.

King AttackMating Net
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The same picture from a different angle. White's queen on b1 is aiming along the diagonal towards h7, and White's own rook on g6 is standing in the way. The black king on h8 is guarded only by the pawn on h7 — clear the diagonal, take that pawn with the queen, and it is mate.

King AttackClearance
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3. Rg8+

The rook gives itself up on g8, which does two jobs at once: it clears the diagonal for the queen and it drags a black rook onto a square where it blocks the king. After 1. ..Rxg8 the queen takes on h7 and the game is over.

SacrificeClearanceKing Attack
Alternative Moves
Rg7 — Keeping the rook is too slow: Black plays 1...Qa2+ and forces the queens off with a winning endgame.
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The white queen on b1 looks at g6 along the diagonal. Which capture rips the king's cover away?

SacrificeKing Attack
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When is a sacrifice against the king justified?

SacrificeKing Attack

Key Takeaways

  • Identify the one defender holding the king's shelter together, then remove it.
  • A sacrifice that forces a capture also chooses where your opponent's pieces end up.
  • Calculate to the mate before you give anything away.

Now play it through

Step through every move on a real board, try the wrong ones, and ask Knighty why they fail.

Practice Interactively

Related Lessons

Intermezzo and Quiet Moves

Clearance and Interference

Double Bishop Mate

Summary

Attacks on the king are counting exercises: which pieces defend it, which squares are free, and what would happen if one particular defender disappeared. Sacrifice the piece that removes it, and only when you can see how the attack finishes.

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