10 zugzwang positions rated between 1400 and 1599, averaging 1468. 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 1400-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1400 is one that players around 1400 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.
Kd5 Ke8 Kd6 Kd8 d5 Kc8 Ke7
gxh5 Ke3 Kf5 f4 Kg4
Kd7 Kc4 Ke6
Kb6 Ka3 Ka5 Kb2 Kb4
Ke4 Ke7 Ke5 h5 gxh6
a5 Kd3 Kb4
h7+ Kg7 f6+ Kxh7 Kxf8 Kg6 Ke7 Kg5 Kxf7
Kxf5 Kg3 Ke4
Kxd5 Ke3 Ke5 Kf3 Kf5
Kf5 Kg3 Ke4
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 1400 is one that players rated around 1400 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1468, so they suit 1400-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.