Chess puzzles

Attraction puzzles

You lure an enemy piece, often the king, to a bad square with a sacrifice, and then take advantage of it..

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About attraction puzzles

You lure an enemy piece, often the king, to a bad square with a sacrifice, and then take advantage of it.

How to spot it

  • Ask where you want the enemy king or queen to stand and look for a sacrifice that forces it there.
  • Check that the forced capture is legal and the only one.
  • Plan the follow-up: a fork, a check or a mating net.

A common mistake

Luring the king to a square where you have no follow-up.

A worked example

White to move. Black has just played R4c7. Find the best move.

Solution: 27. Rxc7 Rxc7 28. Qd8+ Kg7 29. Qxc7

Rxc7 attacks the rook on c8 and the pawn on a7. The idea: You lure an enemy piece, often the king, to a bad square with a sacrifice, and then take advantage of it..

The highlighted squares show Black's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (1040 rating).

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Questions

What does attraction look like in a game?

A queen sacrifice that forces the king to a square where a knight forks, or a rook sacrifice that drags a king onto an open file.

Where do these puzzles come from?

They are real puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database, which is free to use under the CC0 license. Each one was built from a real game and tested by many players. We picked well-rated ones with good popularity scores.

Are the puzzles free?

Yes. There is no signup, no limit and no ads on the puzzles. Your progress on this page is not saved after you leave.

What do the difficulty levels mean?

Beginner puzzles are rated under 1250, intermediate 1250 to 1749 and advanced 1750 and up, using the rating Lichess players earned on each puzzle.