Deflection

What is deflection?

Deflection means forcing a defending piece away from a square or line where it's doing useful work. Often the piece already has too much to do, and then it's enough to give it one more thing.

The most common tool is a sacrifice or a check that has to be answered. The piece captures or moves, and at that very moment whatever it was meant to protect is left unprotected: the back rank, another piece, or the square where a pawn is about to promote.

Ask yourself which of your opponent's pieces has too much to do. A piece like that, an overloaded piece, is usually the key to the deflection.

How the puzzles work

There are 150 puzzles here. Choose a level above the board. Within each level the puzzles get harder and harder, and when you come back you pick up where you left off.

Your opponent makes the first move, then it's your turn. If you get stuck, Hint shows which piece to move, and Show the solution plays the rest. The theme only shows once the puzzle is done, but here you already know what you're looking for.

In Puzzle training you get puzzles in this theme at your own level, and see how you're doing in each theme.

More puzzles

• Mate in one
• Mate in two
• Mate in three
• Fork
• Pin
• Skewer
• Discovered attack
• Double check
• Sacrifice
• Attraction
• Hanging piece
• In-between move
• Back-rank mate
• Smothered mate
• Promotion
• Endgame
• Rook endgames
• Pawn endgames
• Zugzwang

The puzzles come from Lichess, fetched on October 2, 2026.

Updated November 6, 2026