Decoys is lesson 5 of 9 in Deflection and decoy, a tactics course suited to players rated around 1400 (club players). A decoy sacrifice drags a piece, usually the king, onto a square where a check, a fork or mate is waiting. It has 7 interactive exercises: 7 calculated lines from real positions. You play every move on a board and get feedback straight away. The lesson is free.
What you practise
White to move: mate in 2.
Black to move: lure a piece onto a fatal square. (4 positions)
White to move: lure a piece onto a fatal square. (2 positions)
Worked examples
White to move: mate in 2. 1.Rg8+ Kxg8 2.Rxe8#. The rook sacrifice on g8 lured the king there, and the next move hit it. Mate in 2.
Black to move: lure a piece onto a fatal square. 1...Rxc2+ 2.Rxc2 Nxe3+ 3.Kf2 Nxc2. The rook sacrifice on c2 lured the rook there, and the next move hit it. You win the rook on c2 and come out 4 points ahead.
chessGM