FoxyChess › Tactics › Deflection
Deflection
Force a defending piece away from the square or piece it is guarding, usually with a check or a sacrifice, so the thing it protected falls.
How to spot it
Find the enemy piece that is doing an important job (guarding a square, protecting a piece, stopping mate) and ask what happens if it is forced to move. A check, a capture or an attack on something bigger can drag it away.
A worked example
The rook on d8 protects the queen on d6. 1.Re8+! forces it to leave: after 1…Rxe8 the queen on d6 has no defender and 2.Qxd6 wins it.
Why it works
A defender can only be in one place. If you can give it a job it can't refuse (getting its king out of check, usually), it has to abandon the job it was doing. Overloaded pieces, those defending two things at once, are the natural victims.
How to defend against it
Don't let one piece carry two duties. If your rook is both guarding the back rank and protecting your queen, a check can't be met without giving one up. Give important pieces a second defender, or move your king to a safer square so that checks have no bite.
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