10 zugzwang positions rated between 1600 and 1799, averaging 1658. 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 1600-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1600 is one that players around 1600 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.
c3 Be4 Ka2
hxg5 c5 Kd5 c6 Kxc6
Kxg5 Kf2 Kf4 Ke2 Ke4
Rxd5 exd5+ Kd4 Kb6 Kxd5
Bxe4 fxe4 Kd4 Kf5 Ke3
Kd5 c4+ bxc4+ Kc3 Ke4
Kd5 e4+ Kc5
d5 Kg7 Ke6 f5 Kxf5 Kf7 Kg5
Kf7 f5 Kg6 fxg4 fxg4 Kf4 Kh5
h4 Kg2 Ke3 Kf1 Kxf3
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 1600 is one that players rated around 1600 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1658, so they suit 1600-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.