A decoy is a sacrifice that lures an enemy piece, often the king or queen, onto a square where a fork, pin or mate then works. It is also called attraction.
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Start0/5
A fork or a mate that does not work now may work with the enemy piece one square away. A sacrifice can put it there.
How to do it
- 1Find the square where an enemy piece would be open to a fork, pin or mate.
- 2Sacrifice a piece on that square, ideally with check.
- 3When the piece takes, play the tactic.
For your level
Find the square where your knight would fork king and queen. Then look for a sacrifice that puts the king there.
Check you have it
Question 1 of 1
Play the moves through and count. How much material has the attacker won?
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Common mistakes
- Sacrificing before checking that the follow-up really works.
- Forgetting the opponent may decline the sacrifice.
Questions
- Does a decoy have to be a sacrifice?
- Nearly always. The opponent will not put a piece on a bad square for free, so you have to offer something it must take, or give a check that leaves no other move.