Deflection Chess Move – How to Move Chess Pieces for Deflection

The Deflection chess move is also sometimes called an overworked piece, and it is a chess tactic theme in which a chess player has a piece that must stay on a square that it is on. The reason for this can either be because it is defending another piece, or because it is blocking a threat.

In day-to-day life, deflection is a psychological term that is normally used to describe a coping mechanism that individuals use to try to avoid dealing with unsettling feelings or situations. Individuals use deflection by alternating from one topic to another, in order for them not to have to deal with either topic in depth.

OK, so you are probably wondering what exactly deflection have to do with chess? When playing chess, deflection will help you to win games plain and simple. Chess players will regularly use a piece, especially their queens, to assist in guarding or protecting 2 separate chess pieces at the same time. This is where the chess term deflection comes into play.

In summary deflection is a tactical theme in which a player has a piece that can’t move, either because it is defending another piece, or because it is blocking an opponent’s threat. If you were to move this guarding piece, the opponent's position would crumble. The reason a deflection move is sometimes called an overworked piece is because this defending chess piece is under pressure from having to do too many things at once, in other words defending 2 pieces. By meeting one of the threats, the other threat is left unguarded and this leaves this chess piece at your opponent's mercy.

For example, if your bishop is guarding your queen and is in place to prevent a back row mate from your opponent’s rook, the opponent can simply move the rook to your back row and place your king in check. This forces the bishop chess piece to advance and block the check threat while leaving the queen that it was guarding completely unguarded and available for capture.

Since simple chess tactics do not always present it, it often has to be created with a combination. Such chess combinations often start off with a material sacrifice: the attacker will give up a piece (or 2, or even more in some instances!) in order to set the scene for a tactical situation which will help them win back even more chess pieces. Having to sacrifices pieces to achieve a deflection is very common.

Seek out deflection opportunities that your opponent might be using and exploit it. This proves to be an even better chess tactic towards the end game stage because the opportunities of your opponent having to use a single piece to defend two others are much higher. By learning chess strategy and tactic, you are giving yourself an advantage against players who simply play on gut instinct.