Pawn endgame puzzles
84 free pawn endgame puzzles from real games, rated 647 to 2325. Solve them on the board below; your accuracy feeds your weakness map.
What is a pawn endgame?
King and pawn endgames are pure calculation: one tempo decides the game. These puzzles cover opposition, pawn breakthroughs, races and zugzwang.
Because there are so few pieces, every mistake is fatal, which makes them great training for precise counting.
Common mistake
Counting approximately. Count every tempo.
How to spot it
Count moves in pawn races exactly, including whether a promotion comes with check.
Use the opposition: kings facing with one square between, with the opponent to move.
Pawn breakthroughs (sacrificing pawns to create a passer) are common winners.
Related themes
- PromotionTurn a pawn into a queen.
- UnderpromotionWhen a knight beats a queen.
- En passantThe capture most players forget.
- Rook endgameThe most common endgame in chess.
- Queen endgameChecks, forks and perpetuals.
Let the adaptive drill find your weakest pattern
Puzzles: Lichess puzzle database (CC0), filtered for popularity and play count. See how Weakspot works.