Queen endgame chess puzzles
20 queen endgame puzzles from real games, ordered from easy to hard. Each has a hint and the full solution.
What is a queen endgame in chess?
Queen endgames are full of checks. The side with the safer king and a passed pawn usually wins, and perpetual check is the main defence.
How to spot a queen endgame
Before pushing a pawn, check whether the opponent has a perpetual. Look for checks that trade queens into a won pawn endgame.
Learn it first: Queen endings and queen vs pawn
Queen endgame chess puzzles
Puzzle 1: White to move and mate in 1
White to move and mate in 1. The opponent just played 41... Qxe2.
Puzzle rating 586
Hint
Theme: mate in 1, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
42. Qd8#
FEN: 8/pp3p2/1k2p1p1/1P1pP1Qp/P2P4/5PPK/4q3/8 w - - 0 42
Puzzle 2: Black to move and win
Black to move and win. The opponent just played 60. Qxc6.
Puzzle rating 718
Hint
Theme: quiet move, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
60... Qxc6+ 61. Kxc6 a4 62. Kxd5 a3
FEN: 8/3K4/2Q5/p2p2k1/3P4/8/6P1/2q5 b - - 0 60
Puzzle 3: Black to move and mate in 2
Black to move and mate in 2. The opponent just played 56. Kg5.
Puzzle rating 938
Hint
Theme: mate in 2, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
56... Qh6+ 57. Kf5 Qf6#
FEN: 6k1/6p1/8/6K1/4Q1P1/7q/8/8 b - - 5 56
Puzzle 4: White to move and win
White to move and win. The opponent just played 34... Kh5.
Puzzle rating 960
Hint
Theme: queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
35. g4+ Qxg4+ 36. fxg4+
FEN: 2q5/7p/1p1Q4/1p1pp1pk/P7/4PP2/6PP/6K1 w - - 2 35
Puzzle 5: White to move and mate in 1
White to move and mate in 1. The opponent just played 35... Qxc6.
Puzzle rating 991
Hint
Theme: mate in 1, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
36. Qf8#
FEN: 7k/4Q2p/p1q1p1p1/1p1pP3/8/P6P/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 36
Puzzle 6: White to move and mate in 2
White to move and mate in 2. The opponent just played 45... Kg4.
Puzzle rating 1110
Hint
Theme: mate in 2, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
46. Qf4+ Kh3 47. Qh4#
FEN: 8/5Q2/4p3/3p3p/6k1/6P1/6q1/4K3 w - - 4 46
Puzzle 7: Black to move and mate in 2
Black to move and mate in 2. The opponent just played 49. Kf4.
Puzzle rating 1222
Hint
Theme: mate in 2, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
49... g5+ 50. Kf5 Qe6#
FEN: 8/p4p1k/6pp/8/3Q1KP1/5P2/P6P/4q3 b - - 6 49
Puzzle 8: White to move and win
White to move and win. The opponent just played 50... Qb3.
Puzzle rating 1393
Hint
Theme: queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
51. Qd8+ Kg7 52. Qc7
FEN: 6k1/5p2/1P2p1p1/3p4/3P3Q/1q6/6PK/8 w - - 5 51
Puzzle 9: White to move and win
White to move and win. The opponent just played 69... Kf3.
Puzzle rating 1455
Hint
Theme: skewer, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
70. Qg2+ Ke3 71. Qxa8 a1=Q 72. Qxa1
FEN: q7/8/8/8/6p1/5kP1/p2Q3K/8 w - - 2 70
Puzzle 10: Black to move and win
Black to move and win. The opponent just played 34. Qc4.
Puzzle rating 1526
Hint
Theme: advanced pawn, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
34... Qxc4+ 35. bxc4 b3 36. Ke2 b2
FEN: 6k1/5p2/6pp/8/1pQq4/1P3PP1/7P/5K2 b - - 1 34
Puzzle 11: White to move and win
White to move and win. The opponent just played 44... Qe4+.
Puzzle rating 1655
Hint
Theme: defensive move, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
45. Qxe4 dxe4+ 46. Kxe4 Kd7 47. Kd3
FEN: 8/4kp2/4p3/3pQ1p1/1p1Pq1P1/4PK2/5P2/8 w - - 6 45
Puzzle 12: Black to move and win
Black to move and win. The opponent just played 45. Qd2.
Puzzle rating 1730
Hint
Theme: deflection, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
45... Qf1+ 46. Qg2 g4+ 47. Kxg4 Qxg2
FEN: 8/7p/3P1p1k/6p1/8/6PK/3Q3P/1q6 b - - 1 45
Puzzle 13: Black to move and win
Black to move and win. The opponent just played 27. c4.
Puzzle rating 1814
Hint
Theme: queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
27... Qa1+ 28. Kh2 Qe5+ 29. Qxe5 fxe5
FEN: 8/ppQ5/5pkp/8/2P1P3/7P/1q4P1/7K b - - 0 27
Puzzle 14: Black to move and win
Black to move and win. The opponent just played 60. Qe6.
Puzzle rating 1972
Hint
Theme: queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
60... Qxf2 61. Qe7 Qxh4+
FEN: 8/8/4Qp1k/4p2p/4P1pP/8/4qPPK/8 b - - 15 60
Puzzle 15: White to move and win
White to move and win. The opponent just played 38... g5.
Puzzle rating 2020
Hint
Theme: advanced pawn, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
39. c7 Qf1+ 40. Kh2 Qf4+ 41. Qxf4
FEN: 4k3/5p2/p1PQ3p/1q4p1/8/7P/6P1/7K w - - 0 39
Puzzle 16: Black to move and win
Black to move and win. The opponent just played 51. f8=Q.
Puzzle rating 2082
Hint
Theme: defensive move, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
51... Qxf8+ 52. Kxf8 Kf4 53. Ke7 Ke5 54. Kd7 Kd5
FEN: 5Q2/6K1/1p6/p7/8/P1P3k1/5q2/8 b - - 0 51
Puzzle 17: White to move and win
White to move and win. The opponent just played 45... Qg4.
Puzzle rating 2244
Hint
Theme: defensive move, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
46. Qxg4 hxg4 47. b5
FEN: 8/p6k/1p6/7p/1P3QqP/8/6P1/7K w - - 1 46
Puzzle 18: Black to move and win
Black to move and win. The opponent just played 58. Qb3+.
Puzzle rating 2392
Hint
Theme: defensive move, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
58... Qb4+ 59. Qxb4+ axb4 60. Ke3 Ka4 61. Kd2 Ka3 62. Kc1 Ka2
FEN: 8/8/8/pkq5/5K2/1Q4P1/8/8 b - - 15 58
Puzzle 19: White to move and win
White to move and win. The opponent just played 55... Kxf5.
Puzzle rating 2485
Hint
Theme: quiet move, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
56. Qf2+ Qxf2+ 57. Kxf2 Kg6 58. d4 Kxh6 59. c5
FEN: 8/5p2/1p5P/5k2/2Pq2p1/3P4/4Q3/5K2 w - - 0 56
Puzzle 20: Black to move and win
Black to move and win. The opponent just played 34. Qf4.
Puzzle rating 2664
Hint
Theme: defensive move, queen endgame, endgame tactic
Show solution
34... Qe5 35. Qxe5 fxe5 36. f4 Kf6 37. Kf3 Kf5 38. fxe5 Kxe5 39. Ke3 Kf5
FEN: 8/5pk1/5p2/1p3q1p/5Q1P/P4PK1/5P2/8 b - - 4 34