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Zugzwang Puzzles: Challenging Level

Real puzzles from rated games · median rating 1833 · solved 26,999,762 times

Difficulty 1600–1999

These are zugzwang puzzles rated 1600–1999, the Challenging level on this site. They come from real rated games: 15,916 puzzles, median rating 1833, solved 26,999,762 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.

All zugzwang puzzles Print a worksheet

By the numbers

zugzwang puzzles at challenging level: the numbers

There are 15,916 zugzwang puzzles at challenging level, solved 26,999,762 times in total. The median rating is 1833.

Often combined with

Endgame tactics · 15,916Pawn endgame tactics · 12,255Defensive move · 5,678Quiet move · 4,428Rook endgame tactics · 1,104Bishop endgame tactics · 418Advanced pawn · 409Knight endgame tactics · 267

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 challenging level (12.6% of all 15,916).

29% need 2 solver moves, 45.7% need 3 solver moves, 15.8% need 4 solver moves, 9.4% need 5 or more solver moves. Median rating: 1836 for the shortest solutions, 1824 for the longest.

54.1% open with the king move. The first move captures in 31.3% and gives check in 8.6%; 1.1% end in checkmate, 1.1% involve a sacrifice, 49.6% have White to move.

31.3%first move captures
8.6%first move gives check
1.1%end in checkmate
1.1%involve a sacrifice

How many moves does the solver need?

2 solver moves
29% · median rating 1836
3 solver moves
45.7% · median rating 1833
4 solver moves
15.8% · median rating 1841
5+ solver moves
9.4% · median rating 1824

Which piece plays the key move?

Key move by the king
54.1%
Key move by a pawn
33.8%
Key move by a rook
6.6%
Key move by a bishop
3.4%
Key move by a knight
1.7%
Key move by a queen
0.5%

What does the solver win?

Most valuable capture: pawn
51.8%
Captures nothing along the line
27.8%
Most valuable capture: rook
11.6%
Most valuable capture: bishop
3.9%
Most valuable capture: knight
2.8%
Most valuable capture: queen
2%

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)
51.8%
Up to 2 pawns’ worth
39.8%
3–4 points (about a minor piece)
3.4%
5–8 points (a rook or more)
4.1%
9 or more points (a queen’s worth)
0.9%

How much is left on the board?

28 or more pieces on the board
0%
21–27 pieces
0%
13–20 pieces
14.2%
12 pieces or fewer
85.8%

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: f4 (7.2%), g5 (6.2%), e4 (5.8%), g4 (4.8%), f5 (4.6%).

8
7
1.11.72.232.61.96
2.82.73.63.14.14.66.23.45
2.93.244.15.87.24.84.34
11.22.21.32.93.21.21.13
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.

♚
♟
♙♔
White to move · rating 1600 · solved 1,256 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kxg6

Solution: Kxg4 → Kf6 → Kf4 → Ke6 → Ke4

♟
♟♚♟♟
♙♟♙♟
♙♙
♔♙
♙
White to move · rating 1624 · solved 1,151 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kc6

Solution: Kd4 → Kc7 → Kc5 → Kd7 → Kb6

♟♟
♟
♙♟
♟♙♙
♙♙♚
♔
White to move · rating 1628 · solved 1,605 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Kh3

Solution: Kf3 → g6 → Kf4 → Kg2 → g4 → hxg4 → Kxg4

♚♟
♟♟
♔♙♙♟
♙
White to move · rating 1677 · solved 2,036 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Ka6

Solution: Kc5 → Ka5 → Kd6 → Kb5 → Kxe6 → Kc4 → Ke5 → Kd3 → Kxd5

♚
♟♟
♕
♔
Black to move · rating 1683 · solved 1,036 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Qf4

Solution: exf4+ → Kxf4 → Kc5 → Ke3 → Kc4 → Kd2 → Kd4

♚
♟♙
♔
Black to move · rating 1712 · solved 1,032 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: fxg6+

Solution: Kxg6 → Ke4 → Kg5 → Kf3 → Kf5

♚
♟♟
♟♟♔♟
♙♙♙♙
White to move · rating 1721 · solved 1,431 times · 4 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: c5

Solution: d5 → Kg7 → Ke6 → f5 → Kxf5 → Kf7 → Kg5

♚
♟♟
♟♟♙
♙♙♙
♔
White to move · rating 1729 · solved 1,015 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h6

Solution: gxh6+ → Kxh6 → Kg4 → Kh7 → Kg5

♟♟
♟♚♟
♙♙♟♙♙
♔
♙
White to move · rating 1759 · solved 1,264 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h6

Solution: h5 → c5 → dxc5 → Kxc5 → Kxe4

♚♟♟
♟
♔
♙♙
White to move · rating 1767 · solved 975 times · 5 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h5

Solution: h4 → Ke6 → Kxf4 → Kf6 → g3 → Ke6 → Kg5 → f4 → gxf4

♟
♟♚♟♟
♟♜♙♙
♙♖♔♙
♙
White to move · rating 1776 · solved 1,377 times · 3 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: Re4

Solution: Rxe4 → fxe4+ → Ke3 → Kc5 → Kxe4

♟
♟♚
♙♟♙
♙♔
Black to move · rating 1776 · solved 1,074 times · 2 solver moves to find.
Reveal line

Opponent's last move: h4

Solution: h5 → Kf3 → Kf5

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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