Deflection & DecoyTwo ways to move a piece off a square, and how they differ.ChessDeflectionForces a defender to leave itspostUsually with a capture or a threatWhat it was defending then fallsOften a sacrificeDecoyLures a piece ONTO a specificsquareWhere it can be forked, pinned ormatedAlso usually a sacrificeThe square matters, not thedepartureTHE DIFFERENCE THAT MATTERSDeflection is about where a piece leaves. Decoy is about where itarrives. Both usually cost material first.Look for over-worked pieces: any piece doing two defensive jobs is adeflection waiting to happen.Deflection & Decoylearnposters.com
Deflection & Decoy — printable games wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

What’s on the Deflection & Decoy poster

Deflection against Decoy, side by side.

Look for over-worked pieces: any piece doing two defensive jobs is a deflection waiting to happen.

Questions about the Deflection & Decoy poster

What’s on the Deflection & Decoy poster?
Deflection against Decoy, side by side. Deflection: Forces a defender to leave its post; Deflection: Usually with a capture or a threat; Deflection: What it was defending then falls; Deflection: Often a sacrifice; Decoy: Lures a piece ONTO a specific square; Decoy: Where it can be forked, pinned or mated; Decoy: Also usually a sacrifice; Decoy: The square matters, not the departure; Deflection is about where a piece leaves. Decoy is about where it arrives. Both usual…. Look for over-worked pieces: any piece doing two defensive jobs is a deflection waiting to happen.
Who is the Deflection & Decoy poster for?
Deflection & Decoy belongs to the Chess section rather than to a school year, because games is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning tactics can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Deflection & Decoy poster?
Deflection pulls a defender away. Decoy lures a piece onto a bad square. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Deflection & Decoy belongs on the wall where that games work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Deflection & Decoy?
Overloaded Pieces, Back Rank Mate and Calculating sit alongside Deflection & Decoy in the Chess section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Overloaded PiecesBack Rank MateCalculating
Is the Deflection & Decoy poster free to download and print?
Yes. Deflection & Decoy downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Chess section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Deflection & Decoy poster print at?
Deflection & Decoy is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Deflection & Decoy loses nothing.Printing guide

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