Inchess, adecoy is atactic that lures an enemyman off its square and away from its defensive role.[1] Typically this means away from a square on which it defends another piece or threat. The tactic is also called adeflection. Usually the piece is decoyed to a particular square via thesacrifice of a piece on that square. A piece so sacrificed is called adecoy. When the piece decoyed or deflected is the king, the tactic is known asattraction. In general in themiddlegame, the sacrifice of a decoy piece is called adiversionary sacrifice.[2]
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The game Honfi–Barczay, Kecskemet 1977, with Black to play, illustrates two separate decoys. First, the white queen is set up on c4 for a knight fork:
Next, the fork is executed by removing the sole defender of the a3-square:
Finally, azwischenzug decoys (attracts) the king to b2:
After either 5.Kxb2 Nxc4+ 6.Kc3 Rxe4, or 5.Kd1 Nxc4, Black is two pawns ahead and should win comfortably.
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In this position, after the moves 1.Rf8+ Kxf8 (forced) 2.Nd7+ Ke7 3.Nxb6, White wins the queen and the game. A similar, but more complex position is described by Huczek.[3]
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In the diagrammed position from Vidmar–Euwe, Carlsbad 1929, Black had just played 33...Qf4, threatening mate on h2. White now uncorks the elegant combination 34.Re8+ Bf8 (forced) 35.Rxf8+ (attraction) Kxf8 (forced) 36.Nf5+ (discovered check) Kg8 (36...Ke8 37.Qe7#) 37.Qf8+ (attraction)1–0 Blackresigns. (If 37...Kxf8 then 38.Rd8#. If 37...Kh7 then 38.Qg7#.) The combination after 33...Qf4 features two separate examples of the attraction motif.[4]
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This example shows a position from the game Dementiev–Dzindzichashvili, URS 1972. White had just played 61.g6 (with the threat 62.Qh7+ Kf8 63.Qh8+ (63.Rxf5+ =) Ke7 64.Bh4+ and mate in one). However, Black continued with the crushing 61...Rh1+ (attraction) 62. Kxh1 (best) Nxg3+ (the white rook is pinned) 63.Kh2 Nxh5 and White has dropped his queen to the knight fork. In the game, White resigned after 61...Rh1+.[5]
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Perhaps the most celebrated game featuring a decoy theme isPetrosian–Pachman, Bled 1961,[6] which also involved a queen sacrifice. Pachman resigned after 19.Qxf6+ (attraction) Kxf6 20.Be5+ Kg5 21.Bg7! setting amating net.
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In the gameMenchik–Graf, Semmering 1937,[7] Graf resigned after 21.Rd7, deflecting Black's queen. (If 21...Qxd7, then 22.Qxh5 with mate to follow; 21.Qxh5 immediately wins only a pawn after 21...Qxh2+.)[2]
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Often awing pawn serves as a decoy inendgames.[8] In the gameIvkov–Taimanov, Belgrade 1956,[9][10] Black resigned in the position shown because White has an easy win by using hispassed a2-pawn as a decoy tolure Black's king away from thecenter and to thequeenside, allowing easypromotion of the h6-pawn.
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