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Zugzwang Puzzles: Advanced Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 2329 · solved 29,591,468 times

Difficulty 2000+

These are zugzwang puzzles rated 2000+, the Advanced level on this site. They come from real rated games: 30,350 puzzles, median rating 2329, solved 29,591,468 times. The twelve below are among the most-solved of them; try each on the board, then read the numbers further down to see how solutions at this level are built.

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By the numbers

zugzwang puzzles at advanced level: the numbers

There are 30,350 zugzwang puzzles at advanced level, solved 29,591,468 times in total. The median rating is 2329.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 30,349Pawn endgame tactics · 22,933Quiet move · 12,963Defensive move · 12,495Rook endgame tactics · 2,099Advanced pawn · 1,375Bishop endgame tactics · 1,183Knight endgame tactics · 904

Counts computed from the full puzzle set.

How the solutions work · counted by a rules engine

What a typical zugzwang solution looks like

Sample: 2,000 zugzwang puzzles at advanced level (6.6% of all 30,350).

16.2% need 2 solver moves, 34.5% need 3 solver moves, 25.2% need 4 solver moves, 24% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 2243 for the shortest solutions, 2446 for the longest.

46.4% open with a pawn move. The first move captures in 32.6% and gives check in 10.3%; 0% end in checkmate, 2.1% involve a sacrifice, 49.8% have White to move.

32.6%first move captures
10.3%first move gives check
0%end in checkmate
2.1%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
16.2% · median rating 2243
3 solver moves
34.5% · median rating 2303
4 solver moves
25.2% · median rating 2317
5+ solver moves
24% · median rating 2446

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by a pawn
46.4%
Key move by the king
40.2%
Key move by a rook
5%
Key move by a bishop
4.2%
Key move by a knight
2.8%
Key move by a queen
1.4%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
53.2%
Captures nothing along the line
27.1%
Most valuable capture: rook
8.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
4.6%
Most valuable capture: knight
3.4%
Most valuable capture: queen
3%

Material balance along the whole line, counting every capture by both sides (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9):

No material gained (mating or positional)
59.2%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
33.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
2.6%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
3%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
1.4%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0%
21–27 pieces
0%
13–20 pieces
19.2%
12 pieces or fewer
80.8%

How it is counted: every puzzle in the sample is replayed move by move with a chess rules engine. A sacrifice means a piece that is captured on the very next ply and was worth more than what it captured itself (pawn 1, minor piece 3, rook 5, queen 9). Sample of 2,000 puzzles. Percentages are shares of the sample.

Where it happens

Where the key move lands

Where the solver’s first move ends, drawn from their own side (rank 1 is their back rank). Busiest squares: g4 (6.4%), f4 (6.3%), h4 (5.4%), f5 (5.3%), g5 (4.9%).

8
7
1.31.41.81.72.31.26
2.63.643.83.65.34.93.95
3.43.733.94.26.36.45.44
1.51.11.81.92.12.21.71.63
2
1
abcdefgh

Counted from the same 2,000-puzzle sample. Squares under 1% are left blank.

Study positions

The most-solved zugzwang puzzles, from each difficulty level. Play each one on the board, then open the answer for the full line.

♟
♙
♟♚♙
♟♟♙
♙♔
♙
Black to move · rating 2013 · solved 595 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: hxg6

Solution: hxg6 → Kf3 → b4

♚♟
♙♟
♔♙
Black to move · rating 2079 · solved 621 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ke4

Solution: Ke6 → Kd4 → Kf5 → Ke3 → Kg4 → f5 → Kxf5

♟
♟
♟♚♟♙♙
♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 2082 · solved 595 times · 6 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc5

Solution: f5 → exf5 → e6 → Kd6 → exf7 → Ke7 → g6 → f4 → Kd4 → f3 → Ke3

♟♟
♟♚♟♟
♙
♔♙
♙♙♙
Black to move · rating 2083 · solved 554 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: g3

Solution: g4 → a3 → h5 → Ke3 → Kc4

♚♟
♙♔
White to move · rating 2094 · solved 717 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd6

Solution: Kh6 → Kd5 → Kg7 → Ke5 → Kg6

♜
♟
♟
♟♚♟
♙♖♜♙♟
♙♙♙♙
♖♔
Black to move · rating 2104 · solved 682 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: b4

Solution: Rxc4 → dxc4 → Rxd2+ → Kxd2 → Kd4 → bxc5 → bxc5 → Kc2 → Kxc4

♟
♟
♚
♟♟♟♙♙
♙♔♙
♙
White to move · rating 2127 · solved 548 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: d4+

Solution: exd4+ → Kd5 → f5

♟♚
♟
♙♟
♙♔♟
♙
♙
White to move · rating 2149 · solved 512 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc7

Solution: Kc5 → Kd7 → Kb6 → Kc8 → a6 → bxa6 → Kxc6

♟♟
♙
♟♙
♚♔
♙♟
♙
Black to move · rating 2156 · solved 742 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h6

Solution: gxh6 → gxh6 → a4

♚♟
♟
♙♟♙
♔♙
White to move · rating 2160 · solved 589 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kd6

Solution: Kb4 → Kc6 → Kc4

♚♟
♟♟♟♙♟♟
♙♙♙
♙♔♙
Black to move · rating 2285 · solved 600 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: a3

Solution: bxc4 → Kxc4 → a4 → Kb5 → Kxd5

♟
♟♘♟
♙♚♟
♙♙
♔♙
♝
Black to move · rating 2307 · solved 601 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Nb6

Solution: Bxb6 → axb6 → d5 → exd5 → Kxd5 → Kc3 → Kc6

Positions and move sequences come from real rated games (CC0 data). Engine evaluations, where shown, are stored evaluations of the position (CC0).

Same theme, other levels

Zugzwang puzzles by difficulty

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