1889: Lasker vs Bauer chess position
15. Bxh7+! The game continued: 15…Kxh7 16. Qxh5+ Kg8 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Qg4+ Kh7 19. Rf3. Black must give up his queen to avoid mate. Lasker got a decisive material advantage and soon won the game.
1895: Steinitz vs. von Bardeleben chess position
The diagram shows the starting position of one of the most famous combinations in Steinitz’s life. 22.Rxe7+! Kf8 23.Rf7+! Kg8 24.Rg7+! Kh8 25.Rxh7+ and Bardeleben ran out of the hall due to the inevitable loss of the game after...
Steinitz vs. von Bardeleben chess position (1895) by Wilhelm SteinitzInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
25...Kg8 26.Rg7+! Kh8 27.Qh4+ Kxg7 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Qg7+ Kе8 31.Qg8+! Kе7 32.Qf7+ Kd8 33.Qf8+ Qe8 34.Nf7+ Kd7 35.Qd6#
1914: Bernstein vs Capablanca chess position
29...Qb2! and Black resigned.
If White takes the queen, then Black delivers mate with Rd1. If Black tries to protect his hanging queen on e2 and defend from the mate by playing Qf1, Black wins a rook by capturing on c3.
1938: Botvinnik vs Capablanca chess position
30. Ba3! White draws Black's queen away from blockading the passed pawn.30...Qxa3 31.Nh5+! First, he sacrificed the bishop, now he gives away the knight. 31…gxh5 32.Qg5+ Kf8 33.Qxf6+ Kg8 34.e7 Qc1+
Botvinnik vs Capablanca chess position (1938) by Mikhail BotvinnikInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
35.Kf2 Qc2+ 36.Kg3 Qd3+ 37.Kh4 Qe4+ 38.Kxh5 Qe2+ 39.Kh4 Qe4+ 40.g4 Qe1+ 41.Kh5. Black is out of useful checks and is faced with the threat of mate with Qf8 or pawn promotion. Black resigned.
1953: Geller vs Euwe chess position
It seems like Black is under a great attack, but with a brilliant rook sacrifice, Euwe distracts the white queen and then quickly attacks the white king! 22…Rh8! 23.Q:h8 Rc2 24.Rc1 R:g2+ 25.Kf1 Qb3! and checkmate is unavoidable so White resigned.
1954: Smyslov vs Botvinnik chess position
Smyslov vs. Botvinnik, Moscow, 9th game of the 1954 World Championship Match. Black has just given a check with Re4. Smyslov’s reply is brilliant: 19. Qxe4! A queen sacrifice! 19… dxe4 20. Rb8+ Bc8 21. Bb5+ Qxb5 22. Rxb5, and White has a winning material advantage.
Smyslov vs Botvinnik chess position (1954) by Vasily SmyslovInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
Now it is only the matter of running away from the checks. Botvinnik resigned a few moves later.
1922: Alekhine vs Yates chess position
White sacrifices a knight getting dangerously close to the black king: 37.R:g7+! And after 37…R:f6 38.Ke5! White is bringing the king in. Black resigned because mate in 5 moves is unavoidable.
1959: Tal vs Smyslov chess position
Tal wouldn’t be Tal without queen sacrifices! 19. Qxf7! Qa1+ 20. Kd2 Rxf7 21. Nxf7+ Kg8 22. Rxa1 Kxf7, and as a result of this brilliant combination, White has a decisive material advantage.
1963: Fischer vs Benko chess position
19.Rf6! A brilliant move that sets up a mate threat on h7. If Black captures with 19… Bxf6, then after 20. e5, mate is inevitable on h7. The same happens if Black captures the knight on c3.
Fischer vs Benko chess position (1963) by Robert FischerInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
Benko played 19… Kg8, and after 20. e5! h6 21. Ne2!, he resigned because of 21… Nb5 22. Qf5, leading to mate, or 21… Bxf6 22. Qxh6, also leading to mate.
1966: Petrosian vs Spassky chess position
In the tenth game of the 1966 World Chess Championship match, Tigran Petrosian finished with an impressive queen sacrifice: 30. Qh8+! Spassky resigned because after 30… Kxh8 31. Nxf7+ Kg7 32. Nxg5, White has an extra piece.
1970: Larsen vs Spassky chess position
Spassky doesn’t mind that his knight on g4 is under attack. He plays 12…h4!, leaving it there and opening up the kingside. After 13. hxg4 hxg4 14. Rg1, he also brilliantly gives up the rook with 14… Rh1! The game continued with 15. Rxh1 g2 16. Rf1 Qh4+ 17. Kd1 gxf1Q+ Larsen capitulated
1978: Korchnoi vs Karpov chess position
Korchnoi's last move, 39. Ra1, was a blunder that allowed Karpov a forced mate : 39…Nf3+! White resigned because of 40. Kh1 Nf2# or 40. gf Rg6+ 41. Kh1 Nf2#
1990: Kasparov vs Karpov chess position
Is there a more elegant way to win in chess than with a queen sacrifice? Kasparov calculated a long and beautiful winning sequence: 34. Qxh6+! Qxh6 35. Nf7+ Kh7 36. Bxf5+ Qg6 37. Bxg6+ Kg7 38. Rxa8 Be7 39. Rb8 Be7 40. Be4+ Kxf7 41. Bxd5+, and Karpov resigned.
2000: Kramnik vs Kasparov chess position
24.Nd8+ Kh8 25. Qe7!, and Black resigned because the position is lost. For example, if 25… Re8, then 26. Qxe8+ Nxe8 27. Rxe8 leads to mate. If 25… Rg8, then 26. Nf7 is mate. And if 25… Rxd8, then White has a significant material advantage after 27. Qxd8+ Ng8.
2012: Anand vs Gelfand chess position
15. gh! Qxf3+ 16. Kc2 Qxh1 17. Qf2!, and Black resigned because of 17… Na6 18. Bh3 or 17…Nc6 18. dxc6
2013: Anand vs Carlsen chess position
The ninth game of the World Championship match in Chennai was Carlsen’s third and decisive victory, after which he won the match and became the 16th World Chess Champion. Black has two queens but is under attack and needs to be precise.
Anand vs Carlsen chess position (2013) by Magnus CarlsenInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
28… Qe1! (not 28… Qd1? because of 29. Rh4 Qh5 30. Rxh5 gxh5 31. Ne3, and White is winning). White resigned because after 29. Rh4 Qxh4 30. Qxh4 Qa5, Black is completely winning.
2022: Ding Liren vs Bai Jinshi chess position
Seemingly out of the blue, White launched a decisive attack: 33. Bxg6! fxg6 34. Rd7 Bf7 35. Qf6 Qc1+ 36. Rh2, and Black resigned.
