If you've had difficulty understanding the concept behind supposedly "thematic" sacrifices, this may be the book for you. While many books cover sacrifices in general, this book concentrates on a specific set of minor piece sacrifices that occur with a certain amount of frequency. The book provides many examples of success and failure, and this allows the reader the opportunity to develop a systematic understanding of these key sacrificial tries.

David LeMoir has been a successful tournament player in England and is a business strategy consultant. He has written two other books for Gambit, HOW TO BECOME A DEADLY CHESS TACTICIAN and HOW TO BE LUCKY IN CHESS. While there were some interesting aspects to both these books, I think this is his most practical and useful book.

The author starts by searching a large database and isolating those minor piece sacrifices that occur with a fair amount of frequency. He then culls this group of games down to those that are useful for understanding both the attack and defense in the typical positions that arise. In general, these examples are accompanied by introductions and game annotations that help the player determine the value (or lack thereof) of the sacrifice in the specific position.

I liked the method the author chose for presenting the chapters. He basically started at the a-file on the chessboard and worked toward the h-file. This helps group some common themes, as the early chapters often deal with white (the sacrificer) playing for a pawn storm advantage in the endgame, while the further we move across the board, the more direct attack on the king becomes the primary sacrificial rationale.

The sacrifices, in order, are Nxb5 in the Sicilian; Bxb5 in the Sicilian; knight sacrifices on d5; bishop sacrifices on e6; knight sacrifices on e6; Nf5 (in a couple of different methods); Nxf7; Bxf7+; knight sacrifices on f6 against the castled king; Nxg7 against a castled king; Ng5 and Bg5 sacrifices against a castled king; Bxh6; Bxh7+; and the double bishop sacrifice (against a kingside castled king). The book also includes a chapter on how to play successful sacrifices, a useful introduction, and several exercises and answers from the chapters.

As a generally positional player, I couldn't help but think this book would have been a great boon to me when I was growing as a player. The examples and analysis are not simple, however, and I think it is geared toward those who have already reached about the B-level in tournament play. I suspect that the range of players who will most benefit is somewhat narrow, as those who have reached the expert level will likely be fairly familiar with these concepts, but just about any serious player can find something of value here.

Without a doubt, the players who will most benefit from this book are those who play either side of the Sicilian Defense. Nearly half the book's examples come from the Sicilian, and there are plenty of openings that do not readily yield themselves to the sacrifices listed here. Still, this is a generally good start for the player wishing to learn about stock sacrifices.

As is generally, the case, Gambit Publications does a nice job on the production. The book's size, paper, layout, print, etc. are all excellent. The book has a useful (though short) introduction, helpful indexes, and a good editorial feel throughout.

In conclusion, this is a helpful guide for those wishing to get a basic grounding in typical minor piece sacrifices. It does a good job of covering the concepts for both attack and defense. This should prove useful for players seeking to improve their tactics, especially as it relates to typical sacrificial combinations.

Click to see Donaldson's review of this book.