ChessDeflection is dragging away an enemy defender so it can't guard what it was supposed to guard. In many positions, your opponent relies on a single piece to stop your mate or your capture. Force that piece to move one step, and the defense collapses. When you play online chess, ask yourself: "Which piece is stopping me? Can I get rid of it?"
What it looks like
First, see what White wants: the queen and the bishop on h6 are both aimed at g7, and Qxg7 would be mate. But the black queen on f6 guards g7, so if White takes there, she gets taken back.
So White offers the rook on d8 with check. The black king can't move (the rook covers f8, and h8 is on the rook's rank too), so the black queen has to leave f6 to take the rook. The queen on guard duty has been dragged away, and g7 falls right away.
Common kinds of deflection
Capture a piece and force a recapture
The black queen on d5 was doing two things at once: protecting the knight on d7 and blocking the white queen's path to a8. After White takes the knight, if the queen doesn't take back, Black is a knight down. If she does, the rook on a8 falls. And if she offers a queen trade instead, White is still a knight up.
Drag away the piece guarding the promotion square
The black king is boxed in by its own pawns, and the white queen on f8 is protected by the e7 pawn, so Black's only option is to take with the queen. Once the queen leaves the 8th rank, the pawn can promote.
A real example: a queen sacrifice in the Dutch Defense
The Dutch Defense has a very quick trap. Black guards g6 with a rook, and White simply gives the queen to that rook:
Black's rook was the only bodyguard of g6. Once the queen is offered, the rook is pulled to h5, and the bishop strolls right onto g6. For the full moves, see the Dutch Defense.
How to defend
- Look for places where one piece is guarding one thing. If a square or piece has only one defender, it's your opponent's target.
- Give important squares a second defender. With two pieces on guard, if one gets dragged away, the other is still there.
- When your opponent gives check or offers a piece, think about what happens to the thing you were guarding after you take. Don't just think "I win a piece."
- Give your king a way out. Back-rank deflections are the most common. Push one of the pawns in front of your king and many "you have to take" checks disappear.
Practice puzzles
Show answer
1. Rd8+ Nxd8 2. Qxg7# The rook goes to d8 with check. The black knight has to take the rook or block on f8. Either way, the knight leaves e6, and the white queen takes on g7. Checkmate.
Show answer
1. Rb8 Rxb8 2. cxb8=Q The rook goes to b8 and attacks the rook on c8. If the black rook takes on b8, the c-pawn takes back and promotes. If the black rook takes the pawn on c7, the rook on c1 takes back. If Black ignores it, the white rook takes on c8. Whatever Black does, he loses a rook.
Show answer
1. Qxc6 Rxc6 2. Rd8# The white queen takes the black queen on c6. If the rook doesn't take back, Black is a queen down. If it does, it leaves the 8th rank, and the white rook goes to d8. Checkmate.
FAQ
What's the difference between deflection and overloading?
They're close, but the focus is different. Overloading is when one piece has to guard two things at once and can't keep up. Deflection is using a check, a capture or a sacrifice to force that piece away. Very often, the way to punish an overloaded piece is a deflection.
Does deflection always involve a sacrifice?
No. Capturing to force a recapture (like taking the knight above), or attacking the defender so it has to move, also counts. A sacrifice is just the most common and most forcing way.
How do I find a piece to deflect?
First find the square where you want to capture or mate, then see which enemy piece is guarding it. If there's only one, think about whether a check or a capture can force it to leave.
Try it yourself
Deflection often shows up with decoys and overloading. Once you know it, you'll start to sense the places where your opponent is "holding on with just one piece." For more tactics, go back to chess tactics. To practice for real, play some free chess vs the computer and look for a deflection on purpose.