In this post we will discuss he famous Bishop Sacrifice on h7, a classic attacking pattern!

The Greek Gift sacrifice: good sacrifices and bad sacrifices

WFM fla2021

Updated: Mar 13, 2025, 10:37 AM | 5

Hi there!

It’s been a while, sorry for the break! I’ve been busy playing in the Madrid league, and since I was out of practice for a few years, rebuilding my repertoire has taken a lot of effort. Preparing for my classical games has kept me on my toes, but I’m having a blast! OTB chess is fun but exhausting... But now, I’m back!

This time, I’m teaming up with my chess buddy Craig. He’s an adult learner who fell in love with chess after watching The Queen’s Gambit. Craig is a talented player and he is passionate about chess, and he just launched a YouTube channel where he’ll be sharing lots of great chess content. Besides, Craig is also a participant in the new BBC reality TV talent show : Chess Masters: The Endgame...And we created this blog post together!

If you'd like to see these positions and explanations from both of us, check out the YouTube video linked below:

So, what’s this blog post about?

This time, we’ll be diving into the famous Bishop Sacrifice on h7, a classic attacking pattern! But, we’ll also explore both sides of the story: good sacrifices and bad sacrifices. To make it easier for you to learn, we’ll break it down into simple bullet points to help you execute the sacrifice successfully, or defend against it.

A Little History First

Before we get into the Greek Gift sacrifice, let’s take a moment to look at its history. The sacrifice was first played by the Italian chess master Gioachino Greco, also known as Il Calabrese (1600–1634). He was considered the strongest player of his time and helped popularize this brilliant attacking idea in his games. Let´s take a look at one of his games!

So now let's see When is the Bishop Sacrifice on h7 (or h2) Effective?

The Bishop Sacrifice on h7 works best when:

Weak defense on h7: If the knight on f6 (or f3 for Black) is missing or can be forced away (e.g., with a pawn push like e5), the h7 square becomes vulnerable.
Strong attacking coordination: You need: A knight ready to jump to g5. a queen that can quickly reach h5 or g4, and a rook that can join via the third rank.
Limited escape squares for the king: After the sacrifice, if the king moves to g6, White can: Check with the h-pawn (h5). Bring the queen to g3 or h3 via d3. Move the queen to g4 for a deadly discovered check.
Pawn advances: If White has a pawn on e5, it can push away the knight on f6, weakening Black’s defense, and also limiting escape squares for the king.
Rook lift for extra pressure: If a rook can quickly join in via the third rank, then this can seal the attack.

Now, let’s look at some examples where the sacrifice was a brilliant idea and made the opponent cry!

Good sacrifice Example # 1

Good sacrifice Example # 2

After seeing how powerful the Bishop Sacrifice on h7 can be, let’s talk about how to defend against it before it’s too late!

Key Defensive Strategies:

Block the attacker’s coordination: Place defenders between the attacking queen and rook on the h-file to slow down the attack.
Control the b1-h7 (or b8-h2) diagonal: If you can contest this diagonal with your bishop or queen, the sacrifice may not work.
Prevent the knight jump / rook lift: If you control the g5 square to prevent your opponent from hopping in with the knight, or stop the opponent from bringing their rook to the third rank to add pressure.
Look for counterplay: Try to exchange key attacking pieces or create threats to force your opponent into a defensive position.
Escape with the king: After the sacrifice and knight check, sometimes moving the king to h6 (or h3 for Black) can disrupt the attacker’s coordination and stop the deadly discovered checks.
Bring a knight to the defense: If possible, quickly reposition a knight to help defend after the sacrifice. This can shut down the attack and give you time to regroup.

Bad sacrifice Example # 1

Bad sacrifice Example # 2

That’s it for today! We hope these tips help you both execute and defend against the famous Greek Gift sacrifice. Let us know your thoughts, and don’t forget to check out the YouTube video for a deeper dive into these positions!

Until next time, keep playing and keep learning! And make your opponent cry with these tips!