Why Queen Sacrifices Look So Good

Last week, Ediz Gurel stunned the chess world with a brilliant queen sacrifice against Denis Lazavik.

The queen sacrifice almost always creates a striking picture on the board. Why is that?
The queen is the most valuable piece in chess. Beginners instinctively protect it at all costs, and that instinct stays buried in the subconscious even for professionals. In 99% of positions where the queen is attacked, the right move is simply to save it. Not even talking about using the queen as bait, just the idea of leaving it hanging feels impossible.
That’s why the surprise of a queen sacrifice makes such a strong aesthetic impact. I know many games where the queen was given up for material, but only a few where it was used purely as a deflection or as a decoy. There must be many more. If you know one, please share.

The most famous queen sacrifice motif is the smothered mate. Lucena described it in 1497, and the first recorded game with it was played in 1849 by the legendary Paul Morphy. Of course, no chess aficionado would be surprised by it anymore! 

1...Qg1!! 2. Rxg1 Nf2#

Another classic is Réti–Tartakower, 1910.

1.Qd8!! Kxd8 2. Bg5+ Kc7 3. Bd8#

In modern times, perhaps the most famous queen sacrifice is Carlsen–Karjakin, 2016, from the World Chess Championship. 

1.Qh6!! gh (Kh6 Rh8#) 2.Rf7#

When I saw Gurel’s move, it reminded me of Short–Miles, 1986. In that game, Short missed an astonishing sacrifice. He didn’t play the winning 1.Nb6!, thinking Black had a strong defense with 1...Ne2!?

However, after 1...Ne2!? 2. Qf8!! White avoids Black's Rc1 mate idea and wins huge material.

And to wrap up, let’s finish with another beautiful queen sacrifice. I don’t need to spell out the move. You already know it.