Deflection Chess Puzzles

2155 real-game puzzles in this collection

What is a deflection?

Deflection drags a defender away from its duty. By capturing, checking or threatening, you force an enemy piece to abandon the square, line or piece it was guarding, then exploit what it left behind.

How to spot it

Identify which enemy piece holds the position together — the guard of a mating square, a back rank or a loose piece. Any forcing move that attacks that overworked guard is a deflection candidate.

What this set trains

Deflection sets build the habit of asking “what is this piece defending?” before every exchange — a question that exposes hidden wins constantly.