Chess tactics
Attraction (Decoy): Lure a Piece to a Target Square
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An attraction (also called a decoy) draws an enemy king or piece onto a particular square where a second tactic becomes possible. The lure is often a sacrifice, but it can also be a forcing exchange. Its value depends entirely on the calculated follow-up.
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Attraction: what it is and how it works
The pattern is lure, then strike. You offer a piece or exchange on a square the opponent may be compelled to occupy; from there, a fork, skewer, mating net, or clearance tactic becomes possible. Keep the intended follow-up concrete rather than relying on the general appeal of a decoy.
A decoy is reliable when accepting it is forced or when declining it is no better. Calculate both cases. Place the enemy piece on the intended square and test the fork, skewer, or mating line from there; then return to the original position and check every legal alternative to taking the bait.
How to spot it over the board
- Look for a square where, if only the enemy king or queen stood there, you would have a fork, skewer, or mate — then find a sacrifice that forces it there.
- Checks that can legally be met only by capturing the offered piece create a forced decoy; confirm the capture square itself is legal for the king.
- A knight fork is one possible follow-up when the lure brings a king and another target into its attack pattern.
- Calculate from the position after the bait is taken, not before — the tactic lives one move later.
A common calculation error
Do not assume the bait will be accepted. Verify the follow-up after the intended capture, then compare every refusal, interposition, and counter-check. As the defender, treat an apparently offered piece as a calculation prompt: taking may be right, but only after checking what the new square allows.
How hard are these puzzles?
This collection contains 68 attraction puzzles, with a recorded median rating of 1623 and a dataset range from 1016 to 2259. Puzzle ratings are estimates produced by results in their source pool; they can change and should be read as a guide for choosing practice, not as an objective measure of difficulty.
- Puzzles tagged
- 68
- Lowest recorded rating
- 1016
- Recorded median
- 1623
- Highest recorded rating
- 2259
Attraction puzzles to solve
These positions come from the LibreChess trainer and are ordered by the rating stored in this dataset. Play your candidate move on the board, then compare it with the listed solution and replay the continuation.
Worked example 1 — rated 1016
White to move. Find the decoy, then reveal the solution.
32. Rxf8+ 32... Kxf8 33. Qh8#Worked example 2 — rated 1409
White to move. Find the decoy, then reveal the solution.
25. Qxh7+ 25... Kxh7 26. Rh4#Worked example 3 — rated 1623
White to move. Find the decoy, then reveal the solution.
27. Qxh7+ 27... Kxh7 28. Rh5#Worked example 4 — rated 1906
Black to move. Find the decoy, then reveal the solution.
28... h6+ 29. Kxh6 29... Rh8+ 30. Kg5 30... Rg4#Worked example 5 — rated 2259
White to move. Find the decoy, then reveal the solution.
34. Ra8+ 34... Kxa8 35. Nxb6+ 35... Ka7 36. Qa3+ 36... Kb7 37. Qa6+ 37... Kb8 38. Qa8#Keep training by rating
Choose a rating band as a starting point. If the positions are routinely immediate or opaque, move one band up or down; puzzle ratings are pool estimates rather than fixed grades.