Deflection puzzles
Force a defending piece away from the square or piece it guards, then use what it left unguarded.
Ask what each enemy piece is doing. A piece with two jobs (guarding a square and a piece, say) is overloaded: give it a reason to do one and the other falls.
8 real puzzles from games on Lichess, easiest first, rated 630 to 2720. The course has 801 deflection puzzles in all.
Puzzle 1 · rated 630
White just played Kd3. Black to move.
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46... Rxd4+ 47. Kxd4 Kxe2
Puzzle 2 · rated 1149
Black just played Ke5. White to move.
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62. Bc7+ Kd4 63. Bxf4
Puzzle 3 · rated 1391
White just played Qe4. Black to move.
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59... Qg1+ 60. Kh4 Qxf2#
Puzzle 4 · rated 1656
Black just played Nh5. White to move.
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20. Bh7+ Kh8 21. Nexf7+ Qxf7 22. Nxf7+
Puzzle 5 · rated 1915
White just played Rxf2. Black to move.
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30... Rxg1+ 31. Kxg1 Re1+ 32. Rf1 Bd4+ 33. Kh1 Rxf1#
Puzzle 6 · rated 2157
Black just played Ke6. White to move.
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47. Nc5+ Kxe5 48. Nd3+ Kf5 49. Kxd4
Puzzle 7 · rated 2402
Black just played Ra8. White to move.
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30. Qxf7+ Nxf7 31. Rxg6+ Kh7 32. Rg7#
Puzzle 8 · rated 2720
Black just played Kf6. White to move.
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32. Qd8+ Be7 33. Rf1+ Kg5 34. Qxe7+
Free, no sign-up. Puzzles come in order of difficulty and the ladder adjusts to how you solve.
Puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Every line was replayed move by move by the course's rules engine. Part of Chess Path, a free chess course. Free coach for your Chess.com and Lichess games.