Chess Puzzle #9Pqa5 — Advanced, White to move, endgame

Rating 1659 · Advanced · defensive move, endgame, equality, pawn endgame, short, zugzwang.

Position

White: king f3; pawns f5/g4. Black: king d4; pawns f6/g5/g7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Ke5 — king d4→e5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Ke3 — king f3→e3. Opponent replies Kd5 (king e5→d5).
  3. Best move: Kd3 — king e3→d3.

Tactical themes

defensive move, endgame, equality, pawn endgame, short, zugzwang. The key move is Ke3.

Position data

FEN: 8/6p1/5p2/5Pp1/3k2P1/5K2/8/8 b - - 2 78

Solve this puzzle interactively on Brilliant Knight — free tactics training powered by Stockfish 18, no signup required.

Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.