Endgame Puzzles

Endgames are where advantages become points — or evaporate. With few pieces left, every move carries enormous weight: a single tempo decides queening races, and the king transforms from a liability into a fighting piece that belongs in the center of the board.

These puzzles train the endgame's special skills. Activate the king early. Create a passed pawn and escort it. Find the breakthrough that turns a symmetric pawn structure into a queen. Spot the study-like resource — a stalemate trick, an underpromotion, a fortress — that saves a lost position or wins a drawn-looking one.

Endgame tactics are unforgiving in the best way: solutions are concrete and verifiable, so every puzzle either teaches you a technique or exposes a habit of lazy calculation. The themes repeat across all levels — opposition, key squares, cut-off kings, active rooks — which means every pattern learned here shows up in your own games sooner than you expect.

Solve the real-game puzzle on this page, then train endgames in the puzzle trainer at your own level, from beginner to master.