Attraction — Chess Puzzles

Solve free «Attraction» chess puzzles from the lichess database, from beginner to master. No account needed.

An attraction drags an enemy piece onto a square where it can be hit. Usually it is the king that gets pulled — onto a fork, a skewer, or a mating net — and usually the invitation is a sacrifice, because a capture is hard to decline when refusing costs even more.

How to spot it

• There is a square where the enemy king would be forked, skewered, or mated.
• You can offer something on that square that has to be taken.
• The follow-up is a check, so the opponent never gets a free move to reorganise.
• Work backwards: picture the winning position first, then find the move that forces the king into it.

A worked example

White: king d3, knight c2, pawns a5 and h3. Black: king c5, pawns d4, f3 and g5. Black to move.

1. f2 threatens to promote, and Ke2 is how White stops it: the king covers f1.
2. d3 gives up a pawn for one purpose — to drag the white king onto d3.
3. After Kxd3 the new queen appears on f1 with check, because f1 and d3 are on the same diagonal. Black promotes and keeps the queen.

The idea The pawn was not lost, it was spent. Work backwards from the position you want: find the square the king has to stand on, then find the offer it cannot refuse.