Attraction: making a piece stand somewhere it does not want to
Also called the decoy. The move gives something up in order to put an enemy piece on a specific square, because on that square something else works.
- 120 positions in the course
- Difficulty 650–2291
- Section: Sharper Tactics
- 5 levels
What attraction is
An attraction is a sacrifice whose purpose is the square the captured piece ends up on. You are not winning material and you are not removing a defender -- you are relocating an enemy piece, by force, to a square where a fork, a check or a mate exists.
It is the mirror image of deflection. Deflection is about where a piece leaves; attraction is about where it lands. The two are so often confused that separating them is worth doing once, properly.
How to spot it
- Find the move you wish you had. A knight fork that does not quite work, a check that is one square off.
- Now ask which square the enemy king or queen would have to be on for it to work.
- Then look for anything -- usually a sacrifice with check -- that forces them onto that square.
- King attractions are the most common. A king dragged onto an open file or into the middle is nearly always losing to something.
Three attraction sacrifices
Three positions from the 120 in this skill, easiest first. The highlighted squares are the move your opponent has just played. Work it out before you open the answer.
Position 1
Black to move. Find the best move.
Show the answer
27.Rxa6 27...Rxb1+ 28.Kxb1 28...Rc1#
The line ends in checkmate. The sacrifice exists to put an enemy piece on one specific square, and the move after it is the reason.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 650 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Position 2
Black to move. Find the best move.
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51.Rd5 51...Re1+ 52.Kxe1 52...h1=Q+
The line wins a piece. The sacrifice exists to put an enemy piece on one specific square, and the move after it is the reason.
The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1357 for difficulty. The answer reaches a winning advantage.
Position 3
Black to move. Find the best move.
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26.Kxe4 26...Bf5+ 27.Kxf5 27...Qg6#
The line ends in checkmate. The sacrifice exists to put an enemy piece on one specific square, and the move after it is the reason.
The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 2071 for difficulty. The answer reaches checkmate.
Spotting it against you
Any capture that looks free in a sharp position deserves the question: what is on the square I am about to occupy? An attraction always looks like a gift, because it is one.
The defensive resource that most often exists is declining. If the sacrifice is not check, you frequently do not have to take it, and declining an attraction leaves the sacrificing side a piece down.
Questions people ask
What is an attraction in chess tactics?
A sacrifice played specifically to force an enemy piece onto a particular square, where a follow-up tactic -- a fork, a skewer, a mate -- becomes available. Often called a decoy.
Is attraction the same as a decoy?
Yes, the two names describe the same idea. Lichess and most tactics trainers file it under attraction; older chess literature usually calls it a decoy or a lure.
Nearby patterns
Attraction sits in Sharper Tactics. The rest of that section:
- Discovered AttacksMove one piece, attack with another
- Double CheckTwo checks at once, king must move
- DeflectionDrag the defender away
- X-RayAttacking through a piece
- ClearanceGet out of your own way
Tell it apart from its neighbour
Attraction is confused with these more often than anything else, and the difference is usually one sentence long.