Forcing an enemy piece to abandon its current defensive post or line of sight by offering it a distracting target or sacrifice it cannot ignore.
Why it matters
A defender can only be in one place. Deflection offers it something it cannot refuse somewhere else, and the square it was guarding falls the moment it steps away.
The offer is usually a sacrifice, and it usually comes with check, so the answer is forced.
See it on a board
The rook that was holding the back rank is taken off it. With the last defender gone, the rank belongs to White.
Checked: this line ends in checkmate.
How to play it
- White plays Qxb7!.
- If the Black Queen captures the White Queen (Qxb7), it is successfully deflected off the d-file.
- White immediately plays Rd8+, leading to an unavoidable back-rank checkmate.
At each level
The same idea, said the way it is taught at each age.
Knight · ages 4–6
Give a defender a job it cannot refuse — usually taking your piece. While it is away, the square it was guarding is yours.
Bishop · ages 5–7
Ask what each enemy piece is guarding. The one holding your mating square is the one to deflect.
Rook · ages 6–9
Deflection is the standard finish to a back-rank attack: remove the rook that guards the rank, then mate on it.
What goes wrong
- Deflecting a defender that was guarding two things, and cashing in on the less important one.
- Offering a sacrifice that can simply be declined.
Questions people ask
- What is the difference between deflection and decoy?
- Deflection drags a piece away from a duty. A decoy drags a piece onto a particular square where it can be hit.