Chess: Pawn Formations and Sacrifices

Eade, James. “Sacrifices: Understanding When It's Better to Give than to Recieve.” Chess for Dummies, For Dummies, 2016, pp. 125–187.

Sacrifice is the act of giving up something for another thing of higher value. However, in chess a sacrifice is the intentional lost of a valuable piece. Here is an example that you might believe is a sacrifice but it is actually just a trade, capturing the enemy's queen at the cost of your knight. Although, every move in chess could be considered a sacrifice (a sacrifice of space or material) for a lead in development. That means that there are many types of sacrifices in chess from temporary to permanent. One of the most important types of sacrifices are gambits, "We refer to sacrifices that occur in the opening phase of the game as gambits. Gambits almost always involve the sacrifice of material for a positional advantage" (Eade 127). The reasoning for gambits is if you can get into an attacking position quicker you can win back the sacrifice.

The images above show a simple sacrifice or gambit. After I moved my pawn from f2 to f4, the enemy pawn captured my pawn. By sacrificing my pawn I gained control of the center square d4 (also as I mentioned in my previous posts having control over the center gives an advantage).

The next subject is pawn formations, different arrangements of pawns can change the game. According to the book, pawn formations have been tested and they do give you an advantage when used correctly. Pawn formations will also help the player understand where pieces should go to complement another (Eade 157). Recognizing enemy pawn formations can also help you counter them.  Here is an example of the Stonewall Formation, in this formation you guard the center and attack the sides. So, by memorizing the popular ones (and their flaws), you'll have an advantage against some of your opponents.

Question: Do you think sacrifices are required for success?