What is the minor piece sacrifice strategy?
In chess, the minor piece sacrifice is a strategy that involves sacrificing one of the minor pieces (bishop or knight) to gain a positional or tactical advantage. This strategy is often used to gain control of key squares, create threats, or open lines for other pieces.
Scholar’s Mate
One of the most famous examples of the minor piece sacrifice is the Knight sacrifice on f7, also known as the “Scholar’s Mate”. This sacrifice is often used to open up the f7 square for a rook or queen to deliver checkmate. Another well-known example is the “Boden’s Mate” which is a variation of Scholar’s Mate where the minor piece sacrifice is a bishop on f7.
Nimzowitsch sacrifice
The minor piece sacrifice can also be used in the endgame to create passed pawns. The “Nimzowitsch sacrifice” is one such example where a knight is sacrificed to create a passed pawn.