Bible Chess

Chess Sacrifice Puzzles with Answers

16 puzzles · rated 690 to 2207 · answers under each board

A sacrifice gives away material on purpose to get something better: an open king, a lost defender, a mating net. In every puzzle here the offered piece is taken, and checkmate follows.

Sacrifices are hard to find because they look like mistakes. Judge the position after the capture, not the material count.

How to solve them

The side to move is at the bottom of each board. White’s pieces are gold and Black’s are stone, drawn as the biblical figures of Bible Chess: the queen is a Judge, the rook a Tower, the bishop a Prophet, the knight a Scout and the pawns are Shepherds.

Puzzle 1: Black to move, mate in 2

EasyRating 690

White: king h1, knight d2, pawns g2 and h3. Black: king g8, rooks f7 and f8, bishop d6.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Rf1+ 2. Nxf1 Rxf1#

  1. Rook f7 to f1, check. White answers: knight d2 to f1, taking the rook.
  2. Rook f8 to f1, taking the knight. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 01Jrn (CC0)

Puzzle 2: White to move, mate in 2

EasyRating 985

White: king g1, queen f7, rook f1. Black: king h8, rooks e4 and e8, pawns g7 and h7.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Qf8+ Rxf8 2. Rxf8#

  1. Queen f7 to f8, check. Black answers: rook e8 to f8, taking the queen.
  2. Rook f1 to f8, taking the rook. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0CuNM (CC0)

Puzzle 3: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1147

White: king g1, queen g5, rook h3, pawn g2. Black: king h8, rook g8, pawns h6 and g7.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Rxh6+ gxh6 2. Qxh6#

  1. Rook h3 to h6, taking the pawn, check. Black answers: pawn g7 to h6, taking the rook.
  2. Queen g5 to h6, taking the pawn. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 03eh3 (CC0)

Puzzle 4: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1194

White: king h2, queen f7, pawn e7. Black: king h8, queen e8, pawn h7.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Qf8+ Qxf8 2. exf8=Q#

  1. Queen f7 to f8, check. Black answers: queen e8 to f8, taking the queen.
  2. Pawn e7 to f8, taking the queen, promoting to a queen. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 1UtlS (CC0)

Puzzle 5: Black to move, mate in 3

MediumRating 1269

White: king g1, rook f1, pawns f2, g2 and h2. Black: king h8, queen f6, rooks d4 and f8.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qxf2+ 2. Rxf2 Rd1+ 3. Rf1 Rdxf1#

  1. Queen f6 to f2, taking the pawn, check. White answers: rook f1 to f2, taking the queen.
  2. Rook d4 to d1, check. White answers: rook f2 to f1.
  3. Rook d1 to f1, taking the rook. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 03ujt (CC0)

Puzzle 6: Black to move, mate in 3

MediumRating 1309

White: king g1, rook f1, pawns g2 and h2. Black: king h8, queen e3, knight f2.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Nh3+ 2. Kh1 Qg1+ 3. Rxg1 Nf2#

  1. Knight f2 to h3, check. White answers: king g1 to h1.
  2. Queen e3 to g1, check. White answers: rook f1 to g1, taking the queen.
  3. Knight h3 to f2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 3Oz8O (CC0)

Puzzle 7: Black to move, mate in 3

MediumRating 1338

White: king g1, rook f1, pawns g2 and h2. Black: king e8, queen c5, knight f2.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Nh3+ 2. Kh1 Qg1+ 3. Rxg1 Nf2#

  1. Knight f2 to h3, check. White answers: king g1 to h1.
  2. Queen c5 to g1, check. White answers: rook f1 to g1, taking the queen.
  3. Knight h3 to f2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 2vhaK (CC0)

Puzzle 8: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1375

White: king f2, queen g6, rook g3, pawn h7. Black: king h8, queen e7, rook f8, pawn f4.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Qg8+ Rxg8 2. hxg8=Q#

  1. Queen g6 to g8, check. Black answers: rook f8 to g8, taking the queen.
  2. Pawn h7 to g8, taking the rook, promoting to a queen. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0iigv (CC0)

Puzzle 9: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1437

White: king g1, rook f1, bishop g2, pawn e2. Black: king h8, queen h4, rook h2, pawn g3.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Rh1+ 2. Bxh1 Qh2#

  1. Rook h2 to h1, check. White answers: bishop g2 to h1, taking the rook.
  2. Queen h4 to h2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0D1A1 (CC0)

Puzzle 10: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1461

White: king g1, queen h6, rook f4, pawn f6. Black: king h8, rooks e8 and g8, pawns g6 and h7.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Qxh7+ Kxh7 2. Rh4#

  1. Queen h6 to h7, taking the pawn, check. Black answers: king h8 to h7, taking the queen.
  2. Rook f4 to h4. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 07lMF (CC0)

Puzzle 11: White to move, mate in 3

MediumRating 1491

White: king g1, queen e1, rook h3, bishop f4, knight e7. Black: king h8, rook f8, bishop g7, pawn h7.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Rxh7+ Kxh7 2. Qh4+ Bh6 3. Qxh6#

  1. Rook h3 to h7, taking the pawn, check. Black answers: king h8 to h7, taking the rook.
  2. Queen e1 to h4, check. Black answers: bishop g7 to h6.
  3. Queen h4 to h6, taking the bishop. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0IOqQ (CC0)

Puzzle 12: White to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1547

White: king g1, queen f4, knight h4. Black: king h8, rook g8, knight g7, pawn h7.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Ng6+ hxg6 2. Qh6#

  1. Knight h4 to g6, check. Black answers: pawn h7 to g6, taking the knight.
  2. Queen f4 to h6. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 02nli (CC0)

Puzzle 13: White to move, mate in 3

HardRating 1649

White: king h1, queen g6, rook f7, bishop h6. Black: king h8, queen e5, rook g8, pawn g7.

Hint

Your bishop moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Bxg7+ Qxg7 2. Qh5+ Qh7 3. Qxh7#

  1. Bishop h6 to g7, taking the pawn, check. Black answers: queen e5 to g7, taking the bishop.
  2. Queen g6 to h5, check. Black answers: queen g7 to h7.
  3. Queen h5 to h7, taking the queen. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0Jxgx (CC0)

Puzzle 14: Black to move, mate in 3

HardRating 1723

White: king h2, rook f2, pawns g4 and h5. Black: king h8, queen c6, rook e3, pawns f4 and g5.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Rh3+ 2. Kxh3 Qh1+ 3. Rh2 Qf3#

  1. Rook e3 to h3, check. White answers: king h2 to h3, taking the rook.
  2. Queen c6 to h1, check. White answers: rook f2 to h2.
  3. Queen h1 to f3. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0EYEg (CC0)

Puzzle 15: Black to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1856

White: king f1, knight g3, pawn f2. Black: king f8, queen h2, rook h8, pawn f3.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qh1+ 2. Nxh1 Rxh1#

  1. Queen h2 to h1, check. White answers: knight g3 to h1, taking the queen.
  2. Rook h8 to h1, taking the knight. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0AHmy (CC0)

Puzzle 16: Black to move, mate in 4

Very hardRating 2207

White: king b1, pawns b2, a3 and d5. Black: king b3, pawns c3, a4 and b5.

Hint

Your pawn moves first, and it is not a check.

Show the answer

1... cxb2 2. d6 b4 3. axb4 a3 4. b5 a2#

  1. Pawn c3 to b2, taking the pawn. White answers: pawn d5 to d6.
  2. Pawn b5 to b4. White answers: pawn a3 to b4, taking the pawn.
  3. Pawn a4 to a3. White answers: pawn b4 to b5.
  4. Pawn a3 to a2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle CgHoe (CC0)

Questions

What is a sacrifice in chess?

Giving up material, a pawn or a piece, on purpose to gain an attack, time or a better position.

When should you sacrifice?

When you can see that it leads to checkmate or a clear gain, or when the attack it opens is too strong to survive. In these puzzles it always leads to mate.

More chess puzzles