--- title: "Vacating sacrifice in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/vacating-sacrifice.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/vacating-sacrifice" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "A vacating sacrifice gives up a piece so that it leaves, or is captured on, a square or line that another of your pieces needs." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/discovered-attack.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/clearance-sacrifice.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/battery.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Vacating 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 vacating sacrifice gives up a piece so that it leaves, or is captured on, a square or line that another of your pieces needs. A vacating sacrifice gives up a piece so that it leaves, or is captured on, a square or line that another of your pieces needs, usually to deliver mate or win material. Sometimes your best piece is stuck behind one of your own. The queen's [diagonal](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/diagonal.md) is blocked by a [knight](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knight.md), or the knight itself stands on the only [square](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/square.md) the queen could use. A vacating [sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sacrifice.md) solves this by throwing the blocking piece away, so the way opens for the piece behind it. To spot the idea, ask which of your pieces is aimed at the enemy king but blocked by a friend. Then ask whether that friend can move with a check or a [capture](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/capture.md), so that your opponent has no time to react. If the blocker lands on a square where it must be taken, or gives a check that forces a reply, the line it was blocking opens with tempo. It works best when the sacrificed piece comes with a check or a threat. Without one, the defender can simply ignore it and cover the newly opened line. Also check that the capturing piece does not itself land on a useful square, since that can ruin the follow-up. To defend, watch for your own pieces that are lined up behind a blocker, and keep the key square guarded twice. A defender who sees the vacated line early can often move the king away from it. In the diagram White plays Nh6+. The knight on f5 stands in front of the queen on d3, which is aimed at h7. After Nh6+ gxh6, the diagonal is open, and Qxh7 is mate because the knight on g5 guards the queen. ## Example position White to move plays Nh6+. After gxh6 the knight has left the queen's diagonal, so Qxh7 is checkmate: the knight on g5 guards h7, and the king has no square. If Black plays Kh8 instead, Qxh7 is mate as well. Position (FEN): `5rk1/5ppp/8/5NN1/8/3Q4/5PPP/6K1 w - - 0 1` A neighboring idea is [Clearance sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/clearance-sacrifice.md). A clearance sacrifice gives up material to remove a piece from a square, file, rank or diagonal, so that another of your pieces can use that line or square for a winning or mating move. Compare it with [Windmill](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/windmill.md). A windmill is a repeating pattern in which a rook moves away to give a discovered check, captures a piece, returns with check, and repeats, winning another enemy piece with each swing. Also worth reading is [Battery](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/battery.md). A battery is two of your pieces lined up on one file, rank or diagonal, with the rear piece backing up the front one so that both press on the same target. Knowing "Vacating 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 - [Discovered attack](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/discovered-attack.md) - [Clearance sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/clearance-sacrifice.md) - [Combination](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md) - [Deflection](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md) - [Battery](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/battery.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 - [Discovered attack in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/discovered-attack.md) - [Clearance sacrifice in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/clearance-sacrifice.md) - [Combination in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md) - [Deflection in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md) - [Battery in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/battery.md) - [Chess terms: Tactics and combinations](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)