The Art of Sacrificing: Material for Initiative, Attack and Structure

ChessBase opens the official description with a line every club player recognises: “The perfect sacrifice is every chess player’s dream.” The course then treats the sacrifice in all its forms — for the initiative, for an attack, for a better pawn structure — using examples from Sasikiran’s own career. According to the publisher, he explains not only the moves but his thought process and his emotions at the board, the part of a sacrifice that annotations in books usually leave out.

This product is supplied as a protected ChessBase FritzTrainer package, so the chapter list and running time on this page come from the official ChessBase product page rather than from our own transcripts. What stands out in that list is the balance: four chapters on making sacrifices and a fifth on surviving them. If you want a second, more structural view of the same theme, IM Kostya Kavutskiy’s Positional Sacrifices Vol. 2: Pieces is a natural partner. More strategy titles are in our chess courses list.

What the Five Chapters Cover

Pawn sacrifices with four different goals

The biggest chapter is about the smallest unit of material. Its lessons are named after what the pawn buys: long-term initiative, immediate initiative (two parts), restricting your opponent (two parts) and long-term active play (two parts). That split is useful in practice — before you give up a pawn you should know which of the four you are playing for. “Sacrificing a Pawn for Initiative” is one of the two lessons ChessBase offers as a free sample.

Exchange sacrifices and sacrificing for the attack

Two two-part chapters follow: the exchange sacrifice, where a rook is given for a knight or bishop, and sacrifices made directly to attack the king. A ChessBase review of the course describes the progression from pawn sacrifices through exchange sacrifices to queen sacrifices, and puts the core idea simply: “The art of sacrificing lies in correctly assessing the return for the material invested.”

The queen sacrifice

The fourth chapter, again in two parts, is devoted to the biggest investment on the board. For most players a queen sacrifice is something they admire in other people’s games; here it is treated as a decision with the same logic as a pawn sacrifice — what do you get back, and is it enough?

Playing against the sacrifice

This is the chapter that makes the Art of Sacrificing different from most sacrifice courses. Four lessons look at the defender’s side: accepting a sacrifice and creating a counter-attack, playing against the exchange sacrifice, and enduring a sacrifice-induced attack (two parts). Knowing when a sacrifice is unsound is as valuable as playing one, and it is the part of the subject that club players practise least.

Thinking aloud and calculating blindfold

The publisher stresses Sasikiran’s teaching style: he explains his thinking during his own games, and at times asks you to calculate variations blindfold alongside him. That turns the course into visualisation and calculation training as well as a lesson in sacrifices. Interactive exercises with video feedback, and a final practice section, let you test the ideas yourself.

The Art of Sacrificing: Course Contents

Who This Sacrifice Course Is For

• Tournament players who see sacrifices in their games but cannot judge whether the compensation is real.
• Defenders who keep losing to speculative attacks and want a method for accepting, refuting or surviving a sacrifice.
• Players working on calculation — the blindfold sections double as visualisation training.
• ChessBase users who like interactive video with exercises and feedback inside the program.

The publisher rates it for tournament players and professionals, so it is not the place to learn your first combinations. Newer players will get more from First Steps in Gambits and Sacrifices or from solving a pattern book such as 1001 Brilliant Chess Sacrifices and Combinations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Art of Sacrificing only teach attacking sacrifices?

No. Attacking sacrifices are one chapter. The largest chapter is about pawn sacrifices for initiative, restriction and long-term activity, and another chapter teaches you how to play against sacrifices.

Which games are used as examples?

The publisher states that the examples come from Sasikiran’s own career, which is why he can explain his decisions and feelings at the board. We do not list individual games here because the official page does not name them.

What format is it in, and how is it delivered?

It is a ChessBase FritzTrainer course for Windows, supplied as a two-part package of about 3 GB. Digital files. Crypto payment only. Fast delivery is handled manually after payment confirmation. Download links remain available for 7 days; save your files locally.