An instructive attacking method

I've often wondered why we learn tactical motifs (pins, forks etc), plus tactical 'tricks' (eg Philidors legacy), but standard attacking 'templates' are far less common. By that I mean an move sequence that is longer the usual short term tactics, and can be repeated over and over again. The most obvious example of this would be the Greek Gift (Bxh7 sacrifice), which most players learn, even if they don't get to play it.
This thought re-occurred to me today while watching the game between FM Bobby Cheng and WGM Irine Sukandar from the Australian Open. On move 22 Cheng played the aggressive Ng5 and after Bxg2 decided to sacrifice the piece by playing Qh5. He had a number of threats in the position and eventually Sukandar was unable to stop them all. Not only was it a nice attack, but it looked like one that could conceivably occur in a number of middle game positions. However chess is a cruel games at times, and in this case the attack worked because Black missed 26. ... Be8. But even after White retreats the queen, he still has adequate compensation for the piece. So it was an idea that met with practical success (good), and even if the best replies were found, doesn't lose, which is good enough for me.


Cheng,Bobby - Sukandar,Irine [E05]
Australian Open Sydney, 08.01.2013