Tactics · Learn
Deflection
A deflection drives a defender away from its duty. The defended square, piece, or mating net is only safe while that one piece guards it: so you chase, capture, or check it away, and the thing it was protecting falls.
How to spot it: find the enemy's key defender: the piece holding a mate square or a loose piece: and ask how you can force it to move. A check or a capture that the opponent must answer is the usual lever.
How to spot it: find the enemy's key defender: the piece holding a mate square or a loose piece: and ask how you can force it to move. A check or a capture that the opponent must answer is the usual lever.
Now spot it yourself
A real position: find the move. This is exactly what the drills in the app do, banded from beginner to expert.
How this lesson is made: this public explanation comes from the authored Strong Squares curriculum. Automated checks protect its chess data, source fields and learning flow. Independent chess-editor approval remains part of the private-preview release process. Read the teaching method.