Chess Puzzle #E9ed3 — Advanced, White to move, endgame

Rating 1840 · Advanced · crushing, defensive move, endgame, pawn endgame, short, zugzwang.

Position

White: king e4; pawns a5/b4/g5. Black: king d6; pawns a6/b6/g6. Material is balanced. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: b5 — pawn b6→b5. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Kd4 — king e4→d4. Opponent replies Kd7 (king d6→d7).
  3. Best move: Kd5 — king d4→d5.

Tactical themes

crushing, defensive move, endgame, pawn endgame, short, zugzwang. The key move is Kd4.

Position data

FEN: 8/8/pp1k2p1/P5P1/1P2K3/8/8/8 b - - 0 45

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.