Deflection puzzles
84 free deflection puzzles from real games, rated 944 to 2416. Solve them on the board below; your accuracy feeds your weakness map.
What is a deflection?
A deflection forces a defending piece to leave the square or line it's guarding, usually with a check or a capture it has to answer.
It's the tactic behind most back-rank combinations and many queen wins. The question to ask is: what is that piece guarding, and what can make it move?
Common mistake
Deflecting a piece that wasn't the real defender. Check what changes once it moves.
How to spot it
Identify an overloaded defender: one piece guarding two things.
A check or a capture it must answer will pull it away.
Sacrifices on the guarded square or line are common deflections.
Related themes
- ForkOne piece attacks two targets at once.
- PinA piece that can't move without exposing something bigger.
- SkewerA reverse pin: the big piece moves, the one behind falls.
- Discovered attackMove one piece, unleash another.
- Double checkTwo checks at once. The king must move.
Let the adaptive drill find your weakest pattern
Puzzles: Lichess puzzle database (CC0), filtered for popularity and play count. See how Weakspot works.