Description: #Attraction tactics are swanky moves characterized by the sacrifice of a piece in order to lure the enemy king onto a more vulnerable square.

Common Themes¶

Common themes you may see in positions where an #Attraction tactic is present

#### The enemy king is exposed and easily accessible to many of our pieces 1) we often need at least 3 pieces directed towards the enemy king. This way, the sacrifice of one piece still lets two pieces pursue checkmate 2) often, a minor piece/rook will sacrifice themselves to bring the king onto a square accessible by the queen

A minor piece/rook can sacrifice themselves to bring the king to a square that can be attacked by the queen¶

Knowing common #mating_patterns will make #Attraction tactics easier to spot¶

• memorize how if we check a king with our queen in various nearby positions, what are the escape squares for the king?
• mates tend to be characterized by "close" checks with escape squares cut off.

The enemy king is exposed and easily accessible to many of our pieces¶

fen: 8/3r4/4q1k1/1Q3pPp/7P/3pn1P1/2rR4/4R1K1 w - - 0 1
id: 84AGaMEG
orientation: black

In this emblematic position after Rxd3, we notice - the knight eyes the critical g2 mating square. If only we could get our queen there, it would be mate in 1! - Rg2+ leaves the king with only one square: h1 - We can get the queen to the 2nd rank via Qa2, after which W's pieces cannot stop us from reaching g2. - Our two conditions are met: the king is poorly protected by pawns, and we have 3 pieces ready to attack the king

With these in mind, it becomes clear that if we can bait the king onto the 2nd rank, then we can play Qa2+ --> Qg2#

It doesnt need to always be a queen delivering mate! The knight seems to very often be the supporting character¶

fen: 6r1/1p1Q1pk1/p2p4/3NbB2/2rnp2p/2R3P1/PP2qPKP/7R w - - 0 1
id: G5Ik8LHD
orientation: black

notice we have many pieces near the king, and the king is vulnerable to back rank make if we can get him on the back rank. Qf3+ Rxf3 exf3+ Kf1 Rc1# would be forced, but the king has the escape square h3 so we work backwards! start with h3+

In these difficult puzzles, it often helps to notice things about the position. Notice pieces that are undefended, checkmates that could happen if the king is on a different square - then we can work backwards to make those a reality.

Loose pieces are particularly susceptible to attraction tactics¶

Type 2 undefended pieces (pieces that are only defended by other pieces) can often be overloaded. This is easy to see in small doses, but can be obfuscated by bigger exchanges. Be on the lookout when we're "dueling" for a piece

fen: 2k1r1r1/1pp1q3/p1pb4/4nRNp/4P1pP/2Q3B1/PPP3P1/3R3K b - - 0 1
id: _fMa0NDP