How to Stop the Bxh3/Bxh6 Sacrifice: Tips & Tricks

Are you annoyed when your opponent sacrifices their bishop on h3 or h6 when you castle kingside, then recapture with their queen and launch a barrage of pieces to win? This is hard to face, but there are actually a few strategies to stop this type of sacrifice. Note that sometimes, it is just unstoppable. However, you can sometimes stop it. As you can't get your king out of the way (the enemy queen blocks the g2/g7 and f1/f8 square) the best choice is to bring other pieces in to help. Note that if you can get a knight to g3/g6 and defend it, you should be fine unless your opponent hasn't castled and has the open file for their rook on h1 or h8.

But what if the h-file is open for your opponent's rook? Take this example:

So, how could Black have done better in the previous example and stopped the threat of the Bxh6 threat? Here is the same position, and how Black could have improved, stopping White from threatening the Bxh6 sacrifice:

So, what if the h-file has already been opened? Then how do we defend when the opposing side plays the Bxh3/6 sacrifice? Let's find out!

Now you've learnt a lot about stopping Bxh3/6 sacrifices. Nevertheless, there are still many instances where the sacrifice is actually real good. And when grandmasters deploy this attack, it can be very deadly, and you still may not be able to counter. Here is one of Magnus Carlsen's games against Hikaru Nakamura, where he sacrificed his bishop on h6 and went on to win the game. Here is the game:

Now, you've seen how deadly this sacrifice can be, even against grandmasters. Since grandmasters don't usually sacrifice their bishop on h3 or h6 for no reason but a failing attack, I could not find any games where the person who sacrificed the piece lost. However, here is one of my  own recently-played games, where my opponent played the sacrifice - and where I managed to defend. This game also motivated me to write this blog in the first place: because this sacrifice was constantly happening to me, and doubtlessly to others around my level as well. Here is the game I am talking about:

As you've learnt today, this sacrifice can be lethal, but can also be stopped if you know how to do it. I hope you've learnt something, and can use these tricks against your opponent next time. Please comment on if I did good, and where I could do better. And before you go, here is a treat for staying here so long: a puzzle! I know that Nd4 also works for the first move, but please play the more reasonable choice - and, play Qa4# instead of the others for the last move, please! Happy solving, and ka kite ano (meaning Goodbye in Maori)!