Deflection Chess Puzzles — Rated 1200

10 deflections rated between 1200 and 1399, averaging 1298. Each position below is from a real game, with the solution given underneath — so you can check yourself immediately rather than guessing whether you were right.

Deflection forces a defending piece away from what it is guarding. The move is usually a capture or check the opponent cannot decline, and the point is the square the defender leaves behind rather than the material involved.

These are pitched at 1200-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1200 is one that players around 1200 solve about half the time, so if you are getting most of these you should move up a band.

Solving from a page is good for pattern recognition but not for tracking progress. The rated puzzle trainer serves puzzles matched to your own rating and adjusts as you solve, and the Mistake Trainer builds puzzles from positions you actually got wrong in your own games.

Deflection puzzles rated 1200

  1. Deflection puzzle 1, rated 1271h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 1 · rated 1271 · Black to play after Qf3
    Show solution

    Be5+ Kg1 Qe1+ Qf1 Bh2+ Kxh2 Qxf1

  2. Deflection puzzle 2, rated 1310a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 2 · rated 1310 · White to play after Rf8
    Show solution

    Bh7+ Kh8 Rxf8+

  3. Deflection puzzle 3, rated 1258a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 3 · rated 1258 · White to play after Nb6
    Show solution

    g4+ Kg6 Kxe4

  4. Deflection puzzle 4, rated 1260a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 4 · rated 1260 · White to play after Nxc5
    Show solution

    Qxc5+ Kb8 Qd6+ Qc7 Qxf8+

  5. Deflection puzzle 5, rated 1358h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 5 · rated 1358 · Black to play after Kh2
    Show solution

    Qg3+ Kh1 Qxh3#

  6. Deflection puzzle 6, rated 1354a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 6 · rated 1354 · White to play after Bg5
    Show solution

    Qh7+ Kf7 Bg6+ Ke7 Qxg7+ Rf7 Qxf7#

  7. Deflection puzzle 7, rated 1286h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 7 · rated 1286 · Black to play after Kg1
    Show solution

    Qxc5+ Qf2 Rh1+ Kxh1 Qxf2

  8. Deflection puzzle 8, rated 1302a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 8 · rated 1302 · White to play after Bh6
    Show solution

    Qg6+ Kh8 Qxh6#

  9. Deflection puzzle 9, rated 1266h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 9 · rated 1266 · Black to play after Qg5
    Show solution

    Qa1+ Kd2 Qxb2+ Kd1 Qc2+ Ke1 Qxc3+

  10. Deflection puzzle 10, rated 1319h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 10 · rated 1319 · Black to play after f4
    Show solution

    Ra5+ Kd4 Ra4 Rxa4 b1=Q

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Frequently asked questions

What is a deflection in chess?

Deflection forces a defending piece away from what it is guarding. The move is usually a capture or check the opponent cannot decline, and the point is the square the defender leaves behind rather than the material involved.

What does a puzzle rating of 1200 mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1200 is one that players rated around 1200 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1298, so they suit 1200-rated players.

Are these deflection puzzles free?

Yes. Every puzzle on this page, including its solution, is free to view with no account. The rated trainer that tracks your progress and serves puzzles matched to your rating is part of Chess Ramp Premium.