A Deflection is a tactic in which a key defensive piece is chased away from the "good" position it was occupying, forcing it to give up its role. This tactic differs from the Decoy tactic, where the enemy piece is instead lured into a specific "bad" square, to be attacked. In the diagram above, White can play 1.Bf4 and deflect the Rook away from the defense of the b7-Bishop.
When creating a Deflection: (1) Be mindful of counterattacks or defensive measures. Against a Deflection: (1) Create a counterattack that gives you time to either reinforce the problematic piece or move it to a safer square.
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When we started adding a playful touch to chess learning, we looked through thousands of videos and hundreds of books to find the best resources out there. Here's our curated selection of the best content we encountered on Deflection tactics. We also included some smaller creators who are growing fast and we believe deserve your attention. Check out these resources if you want to master this tactical pattern.
This video by the Volclus YouTube channel is massive. Almost one hour of great examples with dozens of different chess tactics and techniques, Including Deflection.
This is one of several videos by William Jones Chess on tactics. The format is really engaging and unique. Check out this video on Deflection, and see how you can “think” about any position in a very structured way.
If you are an intermediate player that wants to get better at tactics and calculation, then don’t miss this great book by GM Ramesh, one of the world’s most successful coaches.
A very well-curated selection of tactical exercises by Franco Masetti & Roberto Messa. Perfect for beginners who already know the basics and want to get better in a “guided” way.
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