Are these deflection worksheets really free?

Yes. Download the PDF, print it, copy it and hand it out. There is no sign-up and no watermark. The positions come from real games, graded by difficulty.

Which sheet should I give a beginner?

Start with the Easy sheet, which is drawn from puzzles rated 830 to 1269. Most players new to deflections solve eight or nine of the twelve.

Do the worksheets include answers?

Every sheet is three pages: two pages of twelve positions and a full answer key with the solution in algebraic notation and a one-line explanation of why it works.

Deflection puzzles: free printable worksheets

Three PDF worksheets, twelve positions each, with a full answer key. Print them, copy them, hand them out. No sign-up, no watermark, nothing to buy.

You are looking at the page that describes the worksheets, not the worksheets themselves. The three printable PDFs are at reflexchess.com/worksheets/deflection

PDFDeflection · Easy12 positions · Rating 830–1269 · 3 pages with answer keyDownload →PDFDeflection · Intermediate12 positions · Rating 1305–1851 · 3 pages with answer keyDownload →PDFDeflection · Advanced12 positions · Rating 1888–2236 · 3 pages with answer keyDownload →

What is on each sheet

Two pages of twelve numbered diagrams with a box under each one to write the move in, and a third page with the answer key. Each answer gives the line in algebraic notation and one sentence saying why it works, which is enough for a parent or a volunteer coach to mark a sheet without knowing the motif themselves. There is a name, date and score line at the top, because these are built to be handed out and handed back.

The three sheets are the same motif at three difficulty bands, so a coach running a mixed group can give the strongest board the Advanced sheet and the newest player the Easy one and have everybody working on the same idea.

What to look for

Something is being defended, and the defender can be forced to leave. Ask what each enemy piece is holding together.

Three positions from the Easy sheet

Black to move

White to move

Black to move

Every position is taken from a real game, rated by how often club players actually solve it. The full set behind these sheets is 120 positions rated 830 to 2260.

How clubs use them

Warm-up. Ten minutes at the start of a session, boards away, sheets face down until you say go.
Homework. One sheet a week between meetings. The answer key page can be kept back and handed out afterwards.
Grouping. Give the three bands to three tables and compare answers at the end. Everyone has been looking at the same pattern.
Away from screens. Some clubs cannot put children on devices at all. This is the same training on paper.

Want the same positions on a board that moves?

These sheets are cut from the deflection skill in the free Reflex Chess trainer, which has 120 positions in five levels and tells you straight away whether you were right, which is the one thing paper cannot do.

Train deflections in the app · Read the deflection guide · All worksheets