--- title: "Queen sacrifice in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/queen-sacrifice.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/queen-sacrifice" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "A queen sacrifice gives up the strongest piece on the board, usually with a check or a capture. Forcing moves matter most." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/decoy.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/back-rank-mate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Queen 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. A queen sacrifice gives up the strongest piece on the board, usually with a check or a capture. Forcing moves matter most. A queen sacrifice gives up the strongest piece on the board, usually with a check or a capture, to win through a forced checkmate or to gain enough other material to be clearly ahead. Giving up a queen sounds absurd, yet some of the most famous games contain one. The [sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sacrifice.md) works because the queen is worth nine points while a [checkmate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md) is worth the whole game. The point is to force the enemy to take the queen, or to remove a key defender, so that your remaining pieces finish the job. Look for the idea when the enemy king is short of [squares](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/square.md), when a defender is overloaded, or when a [capture](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/capture.md) on the queen drags a piece to the wrong square. Forcing moves matter most. A check or a capture that leaves only one legal reply lets you calculate to the end. Before sacrificing, find the full line, not just the first move. Ask what Black can play instead of taking, whether you have a check that leads to the same mate, and whether any other defense changes the result. If you cannot find every reply, the sacrifice is a gamble. To defend, do not always grab the queen. First check what the capturing piece leaves undefended and whether the king can be mated afterwards. Often the correct reply is to decline, so count the forcing lines before you take. In the diagram White plays Qc6+. The pawn on b7 must capture, because every king move is covered and nothing can block. After bxc6 the [bishop](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bishop.md) goes to a6, giving check along the [diagonal](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/diagonal.md) while the other bishop covers b8 and c7. It is checkmate. ## Example position White to move plays Qc6+. Black must take with bxc6, and Ba6 is then checkmate: the bishop on a6 checks along the diagonal, the bishop on f4 covers b8 and c7, and Black's own rook and knight block d7 and d8. Position (FEN): `2kr4/pp1n2pp/8/8/Q4B2/8/5PPP/5BK1 w - - 0 1` A neighboring idea is [Boden's mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bodens-mate.md). Boden's mate is a checkmate in which two bishops attack along diagonals that cross, one giving check and the other cutting off flight squares, while the king's own pieces block the rest. It sits close to [Damiano's mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/damianos-mate.md). Damiano's mate is a checkmate in which a queen gives check on h7 next to a king on g8, guarded by a pawn on g6, while the king's own pieces block its remaining flight squares. Also worth reading is [Decoy](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/decoy.md). A decoy is a tactic that lures an enemy piece onto a chosen square, usually with a sacrifice it has to accept, so that the piece can be forked, blocks one of its own lines or loses its old job. To see how often "Queen sacrifice" or a pattern like it decides your own games, book a [first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): George Li reviews your games and writes a study plan around what he finds. ## Related terms - [Smothered mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md) - [Combination](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md) - [Decoy](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/decoy.md) - [Deflection](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md) - [Back rank mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/back-rank-mate.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 - [Smothered mate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md) - [Combination in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md) - [Decoy in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/decoy.md) - [Deflection in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md) - [Back rank mate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/back-rank-mate.md) - [Chess terms: Tactics and combinations](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)