Pawn endgames

About pawn endgames

In a pawn endgame only kings and pawns are left. It's the most exact endgame in chess: a single tempo can decide whether the game is won, drawn or lost.

A few ideas are worth knowing. The opposition: the kings stand on the same file or rank with one square between them, and the side that is not to move has the opposition. The rule of the square: picture a square with one side running from the pawn to its promotion square. If the defending king can step into it, it catches the pawn (a pawn still on its starting square can move two squares, so count from the square in front of it). And the passed pawn: a pawn with no enemy pawns ahead of it, neither on its own file nor on the files next to it.

A breakthrough, where you sacrifice one or two pawns to create a passed pawn, is one of the most beautiful ideas in all of chess. And sometimes the right move is a king move that looks far too quiet.

How the puzzles work

There are 150 puzzles here. Choose a level above the board. Within each level the puzzles get harder and harder, and when you come back you pick up where you left off.

Your opponent makes the first move, then it's your turn. If you get stuck, Hint shows which piece to move, and Show the solution plays the rest. The theme only shows once the puzzle is done, but here you already know what you're looking for.

In Puzzle training you get puzzles in this theme at your own level, and see how you're doing in each theme.

More puzzles

• Mate in one
• Mate in two
• Mate in three
• Fork
• Pin
• Skewer
• Discovered attack
• Double check
• Sacrifice
• Deflection
• Attraction
• Hanging piece
• In-between move
• Back-rank mate
• Smothered mate
• Promotion
• Endgame
• Rook endgames
• Zugzwang

The puzzles come from Lichess, fetched on October 2, 2026.

Updated November 6, 2026