TheChessWorld.com
TheChessWorld Facebook TheChessWorld Twitter TheChessWorld Pinterest TheChessWorld YouTube
  • Start Here
  • Play
  • Learn
    • Training Techniques
    • Openings
    • Middlegame
    • Endgames
    • General Information
  • Tournaments
  • Academy
  • 21-Day Course
  • Store
    • TheChessWorld
    • TCW Academy
    • Chess-Teacher
    • Modern Chess
    • Roman Chess Lab
    • Foxy Chess
    • Grandmaster Magazine
    • ChessLecture
    • ICC
    • Rules Chess Strategies
    • Others
  • Contact
TheChessWorld.com
Close

The Rook Sacrifice

WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
WGM Raluca Sgircea, IM Renier Castellanos
05.18.2016
Category: Middle Game
Tags: chess, middlegames, rook
The Rook Sacrifice

An effective way of improving quickly in chess is by learning the most common patterns of play and recognizing them during your own games. Grandmasters usually recommend beginners examine games by strong players as a way of improvement. However, for beginners this might be confusing; how to improve just by going through games?

 

The point is to learn the patterns, how to play certain types of positions and build your stock of tactical and positional ideas. In this article we are going to explain one well known theme that happens very often: the exchange sacrifice as a method to blockade a file or free your own pieces. Sometimes, it can even do both things at the same time.

Perhaps the best known example of this maneuver is this game played by the chess patriarch Mikhail Botvinnik:

In the diagram above we can see that black’s pawn structure is clearly bad and the weakness of c5 is a target for white in the future. If there were no rooks in the position, white would have a clear positional advantage as he can exert pressure on the c5 pawn by placing a knight on a4. However, it’s black’s turn and, fortunately for him, he still has both rooks, so he can sacrifice one with 25…Rd4! The rook blocks the D file and solves all black’s problems. Botvinnik went on to win later on. See the details here:

Ready to start systematic training that actually works?

start chess training

Click here to start your training using the day-by-day program.

Let’s have a look at more examples with some similarities now:

This game is from 1964, with Vistinietzki with white against Alexey Suetin. Suetin was a very strong and famous player in the 60s. If we look at the diagram, we see that the position has a closed character and black’s bishop pair is of no great use. It does not look like black can push for a win, but Suetin found a way to improve his position by means of an exchange sacrifice: 25…Re4! (for those who like coincidence theories, Botvinnik’s similar sacrifice was 25…Rd4). Of course this is not a straight winning sacrifice, but it is a one that changed the course of the game and allowed black to outplay his opponent after an intense fight. See the details here:

The same idea was used in our next example:

This position occurred in the game between the Canadian IM Leon Piasetski and Bent Larsen, St John 1970. White’s position looks solid and it seems he will be happy trading all the heavy pieces along the E file, getting closer to a draw result. Larsen, trying to win the game, executes the (nowadays typical) sacrifice 15…Re4!! The move is not leading to a forced win, but it does change the character of the position and sharpen things a little bit. After 16.Bxe4 fxe4, the E file is blocked and black has some chances for an attack on the kingside. Larsen went on to win soon after this. See the details here:

***

The position above is from a game played between Spain’s top Grandmaster Francisco Vallejo and Janssen,R in a Bundesliga encounter not long ago. Black’s last move was 27…Rc8, threatening to liquidate the last couple of rooks off the board. Vallejo had seen this idea coming and prepared a strong counter, 28.Rc5! Again we see the same idea as shown in the previous examples, although the positions are totally different. Vallejo went on to win pretty quickly after his opponent failed to find the best defense. See more details here:

We must say that these moves are not winning by force at all; the main point is to free your minor pieces, create passed pawns and block your enemy’s rooks from penetrating along a file. Note that in most cases there is always a safer choice, although not as ambitious. These are resources a player should be familiar with if he wants to have a higher chance of success during a game. We hope you have enjoyed reading and learned about this exchange sacrifice that can occur so often in practice.

If you want to improve your chess level, you need to have a clear study plan. If you aim for a dramatic improvement at chess you need to work on all of the elements of the game in a systematic way:

  • tactics
  • positional play
  • attacking skills
  • endgame technique
  • classical games analysis
  • psychological preparation
  • and much more

That seems to be like a lot of things, and that is. But no worries, we have made it easy for you. Our comprehensive training course covers it all and much more. Sign up for 21 Day Training right now!

Find this post useful? Share it?
The Rook Sacrifice

Related Posts

  • 5 Tips to Improve Your Calculation5 Tips to Improve Your Calculation
  • Good Knight vs. Bad BishopGood Knight vs. Bad Bishop
  • The Bad BishopsThe Bad Bishops
Related Products
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Login
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Join the FREE Road to 2200 Masterclass (and learn how to Attack Like a Chess Master)
We value your privacy
Supercharge Your Chess in 21 Days!
Join Academy Today!
Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • F.A.Q.
  • Partnership
  • Blog
  • Grandmasters
  • Jobs
Chess Resources
  • TCW Academy
  • The Store
  • 21 Day Course
  • Play Computer
Top Resources
  • Opening Lab
  • Mastermind
  • Chess Mastery Series
  • Academy
100% Secure Purchase
Money Back PayPal SSL Comodo
Customer Support +1 (410) 656-9104
Email Us [email protected]
Contact Us
Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Youtube
Copyright 2007-2023 • TheChessWorld.com • All Rights Reserved
Cookie Policy | Acceptable Use Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
wpDiscuz