Decoy (Attraction)

How This Tactic Works

A decoy (also called attraction) tempts an enemy piece — especially the king or queen — onto a specific square where it becomes vulnerable to a fork, pin, skewer, or checkmate. The bait is usually a piece sacrifice that the opponent feels compelled to accept. After the piece takes the bait and lands on the target square, your combination delivers the killing blow. The classic queen sacrifice to drag the king into a mating net is one of the most dramatic expressions of this idea.

How to Spot It

• →The enemy king or queen would be on a forking or mating square if you could lure it there
• →You have a piece sacrifice that the opponent is likely to accept
• →After the piece lands on the lured square, a forced winning continuation exists

Practice Tips

• →After each game, review positions where a Decoy (Attraction) was possible — either you played it, your opponent played it, or it was missed by both sides.
• →Focus on the key signal: The enemy king or queen would be on a forking or mating square if you could lure it there. Train your pattern recognition until you see this automatically.
• →Upload your games to chess.rodeo for free Stockfish analysis — it will highlight exactly where tactical opportunities were missed in your games.

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