Deflection
A tactic that forces a defending piece away from a critical square or duty, usually through a sacrifice.
Unlike a decoy, which lures a piece to a specific square, deflection is primarily concerned with removing a piece from a defensive task, such as guarding a mating square or pinning line.
Etymology
Deflection enters English c. 1600 from Latin deflexionem, noun of action from deflectere “to bend aside or downward.” The chess sense keeps the physical image exactly: a defending piece is “bent away” from the line or square it was guarding. The standard German term is Ablenkung, grouped with Räumung (clearance), Fesselung (pin) and Hinlenkung (decoy) as an elementary combinative motif, consistent with the English word being a translation of that German taxonomy — though no source consulted states this explicitly or dates the English term.
Translations
Translations for this term haven't been added yet.