10 zugzwang positions rated between 1000 and 1199, averaging 1144. Each position below is from a real game, with the solution given underneath — so you can check yourself immediately rather than guessing whether you were right.
Zugzwang is the state where every legal move worsens your position — having to move is itself the disadvantage. It is almost exclusively an endgame phenomenon, and it is the mechanism behind most king-and-pawn wins.
These are pitched at 1000-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1000 is one that players around 1000 solve about half the time, so if you are getting most of these you should move up a band.
Solving from a page is good for pattern recognition but not for tracking progress. The rated puzzle trainer serves puzzles matched to your own rating and adjusts as you solve, and the Mistake Trainer builds puzzles from positions you actually got wrong in your own games.
Rxe3 Kxe3 Kxh5 Kf3 Kh4
Kb4 Kd5 Kxb5
Kf4 Ke2 Kg3
Ke4 Kd6 Kf5 Kd5 Kxg5
Ke5 Kd7 Kf6
Rc3+ Re3 Rxe3+ Kxe3 Kxe5
Kd5 Kg5 Kxe5 Kxh5 Kxf6
Kxe5 Kf3 Kf5
Kf3 f5 gxf5
Kxf4 Kh3 Kxf3 Kh4 Kf4
Train zugzwang puzzles at your rating →
Zugzwang is the state where every legal move worsens your position — having to move is itself the disadvantage. It is almost exclusively an endgame phenomenon, and it is the mechanism behind most king-and-pawn wins.
Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1000 is one that players rated around 1000 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1144, so they suit 1000-rated players.
Yes. Every puzzle on this page, including its solution, is free to view with no account. The rated trainer that tracks your progress and serves puzzles matched to your rating is part of Chess Ramp Premium.