--- title: "Attraction in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/attraction.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/attraction" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "Attraction is a tactic that draws the enemy king or queen onto a square where it can be checked, forked or mated." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/decoy.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fork.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Attraction in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. Attraction is a tactic that draws the enemy king or queen onto a square where it can be checked, forked or mated. Attraction is a tactic that draws the enemy king or queen onto a square where it can be checked, forked or mated, usually by offering a piece that cannot safely be refused. Attraction pulls a valuable enemy piece, most often the king or the queen, to a [square](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/square.md) where it becomes the target. You offer a piece, usually with check or with a [capture](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/capture.md) the piece cannot ignore, and the piece lands on the square you chose. From there a fork, a check or a [mating net](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/mating-net.md) takes over. It is the mirror of a [deflection](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md). A deflection sends a defender away from a job. An attraction brings a piece toward a square where it will be hunted. It also differs from a decoy in what it aims at: attraction is about the king or queen being exposed, while a decoy can lure any piece. To find it, look for a rook or a minor piece that can give a check or attack the queen, and ask where the enemy must go to answer. If that square lies on a [knight's](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knight.md) fork square, or beside your pieces, the [sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sacrifice.md) may be worth it. The most common partner is a knight, because it attacks the new square from far away. To defend, keep the queen away from the same lines as the king, and avoid putting both on squares a single knight can reach. In the diagram the queen on b6 guards the back rank. White plays Rd8+ and the king on h8 cannot move, so the queen must take on d8. Then Nf7+ forks the king and the queen. The king goes to g8 and Nxd8 wins the queen for a rook. ## Example position White to move plays Rd8+. The queen on b6 must take on d8, and Nf7+ forks the king on h8 and the queen, so after Kg8 Nxd8 White wins the queen for a rook. Position (FEN): `7k/pp4pp/1q6/6N1/8/8/PP3PPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1` Compare it with [Decoy](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/decoy.md). A decoy is a tactic that lures an enemy piece onto a chosen square, usually with a sacrifice it has to accept, so that the piece can be forked, blocks one of its own lines or loses its old job. Also worth reading is [Pawn fork](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pawn-fork.md). A pawn fork is a pawn move that attacks two enemy pieces at once, one on each of the two diagonal squares ahead of the pawn, so only one of them can escape. Also worth reading is [Exchange sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/exchange-sacrifice.md). An exchange sacrifice gives up a rook, worth five points, to capture a bishop or knight, worth three, in return for a positional or tactical gain that is worth more than the material lost. Knowing "Attraction" helps most once you can spot it in a real game. A [first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md) with George Li starts from your own games and finds the tactics you keep missing. ## Related terms - [Decoy](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/decoy.md) - [Fork](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fork.md) - [Deflection](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md) - [Combination](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md) ## Guides that go further - [How to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md): What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid. - [How much does chess coaching cost?](https://georgelichess.com/chess-coaching-cost.md): Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each. - [The first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li. [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [Decoy in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/decoy.md) - [Fork in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fork.md) - [Deflection in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/deflection.md) - [Combination in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/combination.md) - [Chess terms: Tactics and combinations](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)