10 zugzwang positions rated between 400 and 799, averaging 625. 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 600-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 600 is one that players around 600 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.
Rxd4+ Kxd4 Kd6 Kc4 Ke5
Kd5 Kc3 Ke4
Kb4 Ka2 Kc3
Kd5 Kc7 Ke6
Kb4 Kc2 Kc4
Bxg7 Kxg7 Kg5
Rxd6+ Kxd6 Kd4 Kc6 Ke5
Kxg4 gxf4 Kxf4
Kg5 Kf7 Kxf5
Kxf4 fxe4 Kxe4 Kd6 Kd4
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 600 is one that players rated around 600 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 625, so they suit 600-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.