Deflection Chess Puzzles — Rated 1600

10 deflections rated between 1600 and 1799, averaging 1659. 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 1600-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1600 is one that players around 1600 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 1600

  1. Deflection puzzle 1, rated 1649a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 1 · rated 1649 · White to play after Qxa1
    Show solution

    Qc8+ Be8 Qxe8+ Rf8 Bb3+ c4 Bxc4+ Kh8 Qxf8#

  2. Deflection puzzle 2, rated 1653a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 2 · rated 1653 · White to play after e3
    Show solution

    Qxf4+ Qc7 Ra8+ Kxa8 Qxc7

  3. Deflection puzzle 3, rated 1633a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 3 · rated 1633 · White to play after a6
    Show solution

    Rc4+ Kb6 a5+ Kxa5 Rxc7

  4. Deflection puzzle 4, rated 1610h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 4 · rated 1610 · Black to play after Kf1
    Show solution

    Qh1+ Ke2 Rxe3+ Kxe3 Qxe1+

  5. Deflection puzzle 5, rated 1676a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 5 · rated 1676 · White to play after Ng4
    Show solution

    Bb5 Bxb5 c8=Q+

  6. Deflection puzzle 6, rated 1637h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 6 · rated 1637 · Black to play after Qxe4
    Show solution

    Bh2+ Kh1 Nxf2+ Rxf2 Qxe4

  7. Deflection puzzle 7, rated 1691a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 7 · rated 1691 · White to play after Rxd4
    Show solution

    Qc6+ Ka7 Qxc5+ Kb8 Qxd4

  8. Deflection puzzle 8, rated 1690a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
    Puzzle 8 · rated 1690 · White to play after Bd8
    Show solution

    Rxd8 Qxd8 Bxf7+ Rxf7 Qxd8+

  9. Deflection puzzle 9, rated 1644h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 9 · rated 1644 · Black to play after Rxf2
    Show solution

    Rd1+ Kh2 Qxf2

  10. Deflection puzzle 10, rated 1710h1g2f3e4d5c6b7a8
    Puzzle 10 · rated 1710 · Black to play after Rdf1
    Show solution

    Rf3+ Rg3 Qxf1+ Qxf1 Rxf1

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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 1600 mean?

Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1600 is one that players rated around 1600 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1659, so they suit 1600-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.