A deflection forces an enemy piece away from an important defensive job, usually with a check or threat it must answer, so the thing it was guarding falls.
Every defended piece or key square relies on a specific defender. A deflection makes that defender an offer or a threat it can’t refuse — often a check — so it has to leave its post.
Once the defender is dragged off, whatever it was protecting is suddenly hanging. The classic targets are a piece held by a single guard, or a back-rank square that one rook or queen is covering.
When you’re looking for a tactic, ask ‘what is the one piece holding everything together, and can I force it to move?’ Deflection is how you cash that in.
Deflection lures the defender away with a threat (you don’t have to capture it). Removing the defender means you simply capture or trade it off the board. Both end with the defended piece falling.
Find the piece that’s doing an important defensive job, then look for a forcing move — usually a check — that makes it move. If it has to leave, what it was guarding is yours.
BetterChess is a practice tool — we make no guarantee you'll reach 1800 or any rating. Definitions are standard chess terminology; every diagram position is checked legal with the same engine the board runs.