White to move. Black has just castled and the king-side looks safe — but Paulsen has a knight and queen poised to attack. Can you find the classic bishop sacrifice?
Louis Paulsen vs Adolf Schwarz
Why this game matters
Leipzig, 1879. Louis Paulsen is remembered as the pioneer of patient defence and the Sicilian, but he could attack with the best of them. Here, against Adolf Schwarz, he unfurled a textbook 'Greek gift' — the bishop sacrifice on h7 — and chased the black king up the board into a mating net. It is a model demonstration of one of chess's most important sacrifices.
The lesson
The classic bishop sacrifice on h7 (the 'Greek gift') works when you have a knight ready for g5, the queen able to reach h5/g4, and the king with no easy escape. Paulsen had all three, so 16.Bxh7+! Kxh7 17.Ng5+ led to a forced king hunt. Learn the pattern and you'll spot it for the rest of your life.
Move by move
3. e53.e5 — the Advance Variation of the French; White gains space and aims to attack the king-side later.
7. b47.b4 — Paulsen grabs queenside space, a typically thoughtful positional move before switching to the attack.
13… Bxc513...Bxc5 14.Rxc5 — the rook takes up an active post and White's pieces begin to converge on the king-side.
14… O-O14...O-O — Black castles into the danger zone, and now Paulsen's setup for the Greek gift is complete.
15. Bd315.Bd3 — the bishop swings onto the b1–h7 diagonal, taking dead aim at h7.
16. Bxh7+16.Bxh7+!! The Greek-gift sacrifice. After 16...Kxh7 the knight comes to g5 with check and the king is dragged out.
17. Ng5+17.Ng5+ Kg6 — the king is forced forward; White's queen will join with deadly effect.
18. Qg418.Qg4 — the queen arrives, threatening mate and herding the king further up the board.
23. Nxe6+23.Nxe6+! Another piece crashes in with check, opening the final stage of the king hunt.
27. Qxg7+27.Qxg7+ — the king has been chased to e7 and is caught; with mate imminent Schwarz resigned. A model Greek gift.
Frequently asked
What is the 'Greek gift' sacrifice?
The classic bishop sacrifice Bxh7+ against a castled king, followed by Ng5+ and a queen lift to h5 or g4. It works when the attacker has those pieces ready and the king cannot easily run — exactly Paulsen's position here.
Wasn't Paulsen a defensive player?
Yes — Louis Paulsen pioneered patient defence and the idea that attacks must be objectively sound. But he was a complete player, and when the conditions for a sacrifice were right, as here, he struck without hesitation.
Can I try the combination myself?
Yes — take the board as White at move 16 and try to find the Greek-gift sacrifice and the king hunt, or replay the whole game move by move, no sign-up.