White to move · 2 moves · Rating 773
Find checkmate in 2 moves.
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29.Qh7+ Kf8 30.Qxh8#
Ponderchess / Puzzles
Deflection puzzles
76 deflection puzzles from real games, rated 773 to 2688. Here are 18, from easiest to hardest.
Deflection pulls a defender away from its job. A piece that guards a key square or another piece is forced, usually by a capture or check, to move elsewhere, and what it was protecting falls.
Deflections often target an overloaded piece, one that is defending two things at once. Attack one of its duties and it cannot keep the other.
How to solve them: For each enemy piece, name what it defends. If one piece is the only guard of something important, find a forcing move that drags it away.
New to the idea? Read Deflection in chess first.
18 deflection puzzles to solve
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White to move · 3 moves · Rating 897
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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56.Rb8+ Kc6 57.Rc8+ Kd7 58.Rxc5
White to move · 2 moves · Rating 1037
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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19.Qxg6+ Kf8 20.Qxf6+
Black to move · 2 moves · Rating 1090
Find checkmate in 2 moves.
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12...Qf2+ 13.Kxh1 Qxf1#
Black to move · 2 moves · Rating 1175
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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67...Re8+ 68.Kf3 Kxd3
Black to move · 2 moves · Rating 1338
Find checkmate in 2 moves.
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14...Bh2+ 15.Kh1 Nxf2#
White to move · 4 moves · Rating 1405
Find checkmate in 4 moves.
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36.Rd7+ Ka6 37.Qc4+ b5 38.Qxc6+ Ka5 39.Rxa7#
White to move · 2 moves · Rating 1561
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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35.Qxb7+ Ke6 36.Qxe4+
White to move · 3 moves · Rating 1680
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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22.Qh4+ f6 23.Qxh7+ Kf8 24.Rxd8+
Black to move · 3 moves · Rating 1897
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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30...Qb1+ 31.Rf1 Qxb2 32.Qe6+ Kh8
Black to move · 2 moves · Rating 1951
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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63...Ne3 64.Nxe3 a1=Q+
White to move · 3 moves · Rating 2098
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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31.d5+ Kf7 32.gxf5 axb3 33.axb3
White to move · 5 moves · Rating 2215
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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28.Ne6+ Bxe6 29.Rxg6+ Kh7 30.Rh6+ Kxh6 31.Qg5+ Kh7 32.Qxh5+
Black to move · 4 moves · Rating 2280
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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26...Rd1 27.Qxd1 Rxg2+ 28.Kf1 Rg1+ 29.Ke2 Rxd1
White to move · 4 moves · Rating 2349
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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33.Qh8+ Ke7 34.Qf6+ Kd7 35.Qxf7+ Re7 36.Rd1+
Black to move · 3 moves · Rating 2478
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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26...Rf8+ 27.Kg3 Qg6+ 28.Kh2 Rxf2
White to move · 3 moves · Rating 2610
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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21.e7+ Qxe7 22.Qf4+ Qf7 23.Qxb4+
White to move · 3 moves · Rating 2688
Find the best move, then follow the winning continuation.
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28.Qxf6 Rxf6 29.Rg7+ Kf8 30.Rxh7
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Positions from the open Lichess puzzle database (CC0).