--- title: "Greek gift sacrifice in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/greek-gift-sacrifice.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/greek-gift-sacrifice" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "The Greek gift sacrifice is a bishop sacrifice on h7, or h2 for Black, played as Bxh7+ Kxh7. The idea is to drag the king out of its pawn cover." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/double-check.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fork.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/quiet-move.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Greek gift sacrifice in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. The Greek gift sacrifice is a bishop sacrifice on h7, or h2 for Black, played as Bxh7+ Kxh7. The idea is to drag the king out of its pawn cover. The Greek gift sacrifice is a bishop sacrifice on h7, or h2 for Black, played as Bxh7+ Kxh7, followed by a knight check on g5 and the queen coming to the h-file to attack the exposed king. The idea is to drag the king out of its pawn cover. White's [bishop](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bishop.md) takes the pawn on h7 with check, the king takes it, and White follows with a [knight](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knight.md) check on g5. Then the queen swings to h5, and the exposed king faces a [mating attack](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/mating-attack.md) that is usually worth far more than the bishop. The [sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sacrifice.md) only works when the attackers are ready. Your queen must be able to reach h5, a knight must be able to jump to g5 with check, and the bishop should have a clear [diagonal](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/diagonal.md) to h7. Just as important, Black must lack defenders. A black knight on f6 can [capture](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/capture.md) on h7, a bishop on e7 attacks g5, and a pawn on f5 blocks the bishop's diagonal, so each of them stops most of the attack. Before you play it, check three things. First, what happens after Kxh7 Ng5+ Kg8: does the queen reach h5 with a real threat? Second, can the king run to g6 or h6 and escape? Third, does Black have a defender such as a knight on f6 or a queen close to the kingside? If any answer is bad, keep the bishop. To defend, keep a knight on f6, avoid leaving the h7 pawn unprotected, and watch for the queen and knight forming a pair. In the diagram White plays Bxh7+. After Kxh7 Ng5+ Kg8, the queen goes to h5. Qh7 mate is threatened, and the king has no flight square. Also called: Bxh7 sacrifice. ## Example position White to move plays Bxh7+. After Kxh7 Ng5+ Kg8 the queen comes to h5, threatening Qh7 mate, and the pawn moves f6, f5 and g6 all still lose to Qh7 mate. Position (FEN): `5rk1/5ppp/8/8/8/3B1N2/5PPP/3Q2K1 w - - 0 1` Compare it with [Pawn shield](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pawn-shield.md). A pawn shield is the group of pawns standing directly in front of a castled king, typically on the f, g and h files or the a, b and c files, that blocks enemy lines and covers the squares ahead of the king. It sits close to [Smothered mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md). A smothered mate is a knight checkmate against a king hemmed in by its own men: every square the king could use holds its own pieces, and a knight check cannot be blocked. Compare it with [Double check](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/double-check.md). A double check is a single move that puts the enemy king under attack from two pieces simultaneously, typically one that moved and one it unmasked, so only a king move can answer it. Knowing "Greek gift sacrifice" helps most once you can spot it in a real game. A [first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md) with George Li starts from your own games and finds the tactics you keep missing. ## Related terms - [Combination](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md) - [Smothered mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md) - [Double check](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/double-check.md) - [Fork](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fork.md) - [Quiet move](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/quiet-move.md) ## Openings where it occurs - [French defense](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/french-defense.md) - [Caro kann defense](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/caro-kann-defense.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 - [Combination in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md) - [Smothered mate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md) - [Double check in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/double-check.md) - [Fork in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fork.md) - [Quiet move in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/quiet-move.md) - [Chess terms: Tactics and combinations](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)