Deflection: pawn to a4
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The tactical motive
Deflection: force the defender to abandon its post.
Difficulty 2235 ShuffleRating — expert level — few solve it at first try.
White to move — find the best continuation
How to recognize this tactic
Deflection drags a defender away from its duty. Identify the enemy piece that guards a key square or mate, then force it to move — with a check, a capture or a threat it must answer — and strike where it no longer defends.
General method: before you move, list the forcing candidates — every check, every capture, every direct threat — and calculate those first. The solution to a tactic is almost always among them.
Position on the board
White: king d4, knight d5, pawn a2 c3.
Black: king b5, knight c4, pawn a5 b6.
4 white and 4 black pieces are on the board; the puzzle position arises after move 41.
The position in numbers
Material is level — 5 points of pieces on each side (pawn = 1, knight and bishop = 3, rook = 5, queen = 9).
The white king stands on d4, the black king on b5.
It is White to move on move 41, with 11 legal replies to weigh — only the line that keeps the advantage solves the puzzle.
White keeps 2 pawns, Black 2. Files fully open (no pawns of either colour): d, e, f, g, h — natural highways for the rooks and queen. Half-open for White: b.
The White king has 2 empty squares to step to right now — the fewer they are, the closer a mating net.
Solution & explanation
Main line
41. a4+ Kxa4 42. Kxc4 b5+ 43. Kc5
Why it works
- Great move! pawn to a4 keeps the pressure (+5.7).
- Spot on — king to c4 (+5.3).
- Strong! king to c5 is the sharp choice (+5.3).
- You win decisive material (+5.3).
- If instead Kxa4, then Kxc4 and you stay on top.
Move by move
- 41. a4+ — pawn to a4 with check
- Kxa4 — king to a4 (capture)
- 42. Kxc4 — king to c4 (capture)
- b5+ — pawn to b5 with check
- 43. Kc5 — king to c5
Types in this puzzle
Deflection
Force the defender away from its duty — then strike what it guarded.
Deflection forces the guard to leave its post: a sacrifice or exchange drags it away from the piece or square it protects. First find the critical defender — the piece whose absence makes the mate or the material win possible. Then find the move it cannot ignore, which is usually a capture. Do not be stingy: if removing the guard wins the queen or mates, the sacrifice pays for itself many times over.
Zugzwang
Any move worsens the position — force the opponent to move.
Zugzwang is a position where every move the opponent makes hurts him: passing is not allowed, and all his options make things worse. Look for it when his pieces are tied to defensive duties — ask yourself what he could answer to a quiet move of yours. If every reply drops something, you have found the zugzwang. Remember: the winning move here is not a check or a capture but a calm waiting move.
Minor-piece endgame
Bishops and knights duel — geometry decides.
A minor-piece endgame leaves only bishops and knights with pawns, and geometry decides. The bishop loves an open board and play on both wings; the knight loves fixed pawns and outpost squares. Check which color squares the pawns stand on and where the knight can actually reach in time. Practical tip: against a knight, spread the play across both flanks — short legs cannot cover everything.
Provenance
Derived from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0).
Pack 015
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