Exeter Chess Club

Actively sacrificing a Rook depends on you having an open file and something to aim at.  So the best-rehearsed exchange sacrifices are ...Rc8xNc3 in the Sicilian, ...Rf8xNf3 in the French and to some extent the Dutch, Rf1xf6 against the Sicilian...  You need some compensation for your Rook: either a good central pawn, or the weakening of the opposing King's defences, or all three!

White sacrifices for attack on f6 in the Sicilian

• Nezhmetdinov R. - Tal M. [B85]

White sacrifices for attack on h5 in the Sicilian

• Fischer R. - Larsen B. [B77]

Black sacrifices for attack on c3 in the Sicilian

• Movsesian S. - Kasparov G. [B80]

Black sacrifices for initiative on c3 in the Sicilian

• Bednarski J. - Lehmann H. [B87]

Black sacrifices for too little on c3 in the Sicilian

• Devon_Harry - Somerset [B78]

Black sacrifices for initiative in the King's Indian

• Pachman L. - Bronstein D. [E67]

• Zita F. - Bronstein D. [E67]

White sacrifices for all sorts of compensation in the Grunfeld

• Bronstein D. - Boleslavsky I. [D89]

Another common theme is the 'passive' sacrifice of Rook for the opponent's better Bishop by parking it on the natural outpost on an open file.  You get a passed pawn and play against a colour complex.

Black passively sacrifices for initiative (1)

• Liublinsky V. - Botvinnik M. [C77]

Black passively sacrifices for initiative (2)

• Selesniev - Alekhin

Compensation for the exchange

• Lasker - Janowsky

Rooks don't like defending against passed pawns

• Pope S. - Regis D. [B22]

The defensive sacrifice for defensive reasons is particularly associated with Petrosian, and everyone cites this example:

A defensive sacrifice

• Reshevsky - Petrosian [E58]

Petrosian is at it again

• Petrosian T - Spassky B [E66]

The Karpov sacrifice

• Lutz C. - Karpov A. [E12]

A whole Rook

• Maroczy G. - Tartakower S. [A85]