Attraction is a sacrifice or check that forces an enemy piece onto a specific square, where the attacker's next move captures it. The forcing move is the means, and the capture is the goal.
Cite this entryChessGrammar (2026). Attraction. In: ChessGrammar: A reference for chess concepts, Tactics grammar, edition v3.0. Entry cg:attraction@1. https://chessgrammar.com/motifs/tactics/attraction
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Start position
the definition and its boundary
Qb2+
White's queen moves from a3 to b2 and checks along the long diagonal. The king cannot go to g8 or h7, occupied by its own bishop and pawn, and g7 lies on that diagonal. Black must block with the knight, on e5 or f6. The queen already covers both squares, so Qxf6 or Qxe5 captures the knight with mate.
6bk/3n3p/8/8/8/Q7/8/K7 w - - 0 1Qb2+
Attraction differs from Deflection by where the final capture lands. Attraction captures the attracted piece on its arrival square. Deflection captures a target left behind. In the counter-example shown here, the defending side avoids the forced arrival altogether, so neither motif forms.
With the bishop gone, g8 is a free square for the king. Qb2+ is still check, but the king steps to g8 instead of blocking with the knight. Nothing is forced onto the diagonal, and nothing is left to capture there. The knight on d7 mattered only because the king had no other escape.
7k/3n3p/8/8/8/Q7/8/K7 w - - 0 1the variants
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