---
title: "Brilliant move in chess"
url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/brilliant-move.md"
canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/brilliant-move"
last_updated: "2026-11-07"
type: "reference"
summary: "A brilliant move is a label some analysis tools give to a strong, hard-to-find move, often a sacrifice, that the engine confirms keeps."
related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sacrifice.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/quiet-move.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/best-move.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/game-review.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/calculation.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/computer-chess.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"]
---

# Brilliant move in chess

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A brilliant move is a label some analysis tools give to a strong, hard-to-find move, often a sacrifice, that the engine confirms keeps.

A brilliant move is a label some analysis tools give to a strong, hard-to-find move, often a sacrifice, that the engine confirms keeps or improves the position despite looking risky.

The term brilliancy has long been used for a game or move of unusual beauty, and some analysis software now applies an automatic label to moves of that type. The rules are not standard: different tools compute it differently, but it usually requires that the move be among the best, that it give up material or look unnatural, and that the position not already be completely won. A club player may see the badge on a piece [sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sacrifice.md) that worked or on a [quiet move](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/quiet-move.md) that set up a tactic. The common mistake is playing for the badge, throwing pieces away in the hope of a prize. An unsound sacrifice against sensible defense simply loses. Another mistake is dismissing a brilliancy as luck when you found it, since the [calculation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/calculation.md) behind it is real. A good habit is to study the moves that earned the label in your own games and ask what pattern made them work. Those [patterns](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pattern-recognition.md), such as a [deflection](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md) or a [mating net](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/mating-net.md), are worth remembering.

Also called: brilliancy.

An engine can tell you what "Brilliant move" means for a position, but not which mistakes you keep making; a [first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md) with George Li reviews your games and finds those.

## Related terms

- [Sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sacrifice.md)
- [Combination](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md)
- [Quiet move](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/quiet-move.md)
- [Best move](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/best-move.md)
- [Game review](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/game-review.md)
- [Calculation](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/calculation.md)

## Guides that go further

- [How to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md): What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
- [How much does chess coaching cost?](https://georgelichess.com/chess-coaching-cost.md): Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each.
- [The first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.

[Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com.

## Related

- [Sacrifice in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sacrifice.md)
- [Combination in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md)
- [Quiet move in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/quiet-move.md)
- [Best move in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/best-move.md)
- [Game review in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/game-review.md)
- [Calculation in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/calculation.md)
- [Chess terms: Computer chess and analysis](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/computer-chess.md)
- [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)