10 zugzwang positions rated between 2000 and 2199, averaging 2104. 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 2000-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 2000 is one that players around 2000 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.
Kf5 hxg4 fxg4 Kg3 Kxg5
Ke6 Ke3 Kf5 Kf3 h4 Ke3 Kg4 f5 Kxf5
Bxd4 Kxd4 Kb6 Kc4 Kc6
Kxd7 Kf2 Kc6 Ke1 Kb5 Kd1 Kb4 Kc2 Kc4
gxf5 gxf5 a4
g6 Kc4 Ke5
Rxh3+ Kxh3 Ke6 Kg2 Kd5 Kf3 Kd4
Bxf6+ Kxf6 h4 g5+ hxg5+ Kg6 f3 f6 gxf6
f5+ gxf5+ Kf6 Ke3 Kxf5 Kf3 g6
Ka4 Ke3 Ka3 Ke4 Kb2 Kd4 Kb3
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 2000 is one that players rated around 2000 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 2104, so they suit 2000-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.