10 zugzwang positions rated between 2200 and 3500, averaging 2313. 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 2200+-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 2200+ is one that players around 2200+ 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.
d3+ Bxd3 d1=Q+ Kxd1 Kxd3 Kc1 c2 Kb2 Kd2
bxc4 Kxc4 a4 Kb5 Kxd5
bxa5 Kxc5 Kc3 Kc6 Kb4 Kd6 a4
hxg4 Kd3 Kf4 e5 Kxe5
Kd3 Ke6 Kc4 Kd6 Kxb4
gxh4+ Kxh4 Kg6 g5 Kf5
Ka4 Kd2 Kb3 Kc1 bxc3
dxc4 a3 Kd5 Ke3 a5 Kd2 Ke4
h4 h5 Kc6
Bxa3 Kxa3 Kd4 Kb4 g5 c3 Kd3
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 2200+ is one that players rated around 2200+ solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 2313, so they suit 2200+-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.