Tactics
What is a Deflection in chess?
- Defender
- Forcing
- Tactic
Forcing a defender away from an important job such as guarding a square, piece, or mating line.
What to look for on the board
- A defender protecting mate.
- A defender protecting a loose queen or rook.
- A defender that must respond to a check or capture.
Deflection FAQ
What is a deflection in chess?
Forcing a defender away from an important job such as guarding a square, piece, or mating line.
How do you spot a deflection on the board?
Look for: A defender protecting mate.; A defender protecting a loose queen or rook.; A defender that must respond to a check or capture..
How do you get better at using a deflection?
Name the defender's job first. Then find the move that makes it abandon that job.
Train this pattern on your own games
Reading a definition is not the same as spotting the pattern with a clock running. Chessiro's free game review runs Stockfish 18 over every move you play, names the concept behind each mistake, and turns the positions where it cost you into training puzzles. You can also see the idea in action in the classic games collection, where the greatest players in history demonstrate it.
Types and patterns
Related terms
Free game review
See where deflection decides your games
Chessiro reviews your games with an AI coach that names the concept behind every mistake, then drills you on the exact positions where it happened until you stop repeating them.
