A decoy lures an enemy piece — frequently the king — onto a particular square, usually with a sacrifice, so it can then be forked, checked, or mated.
Where a deflection drags a piece away from a job, a decoy pulls a piece toward a square where something bad is waiting. The bait is often a sacrifice the opponent feels obliged to accept.
The most common pattern is luring the king onto a square that a knight or queen can hit with check, setting up a fork that wins the very material you gave up — and more.
Decoys reward calculation: you give something now to land a decisive blow a move later. Before sacrificing, make sure the follow-up check or fork is really there.
A decoy lures a piece toward a bad square; a deflection forces a piece away from a defensive duty. Decoys pull in, deflections push off.
The sacrifice is the bait. By giving up material on a key square, you force the enemy piece (often the king) to go there — straight into a fork, check, or mate that wins more than you gave.
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