Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A situation in a chess game in which a player is forced to make an undesirable or disadvantageous move.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun chess A
situation in which aplayer isforced to make amove . - noun in figurative uses
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The political analyst Nikolai Petrov has described Mr. Putin's predicament using the chess term "zugzwang," in which a player sees only moves that will damage his position, and yet does not have the option of passing.
NYT > Home Page By ELLEN BARRY 2012
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"zugzwang" chess position, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said in his weekly letter on Friday.
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Black is in zugzwang: any king's move allows 2.h7 and white queens.
Lubomir Kavalek: Winners of the New in Chess/Huffington Post Chess Contest Lubomir Kavalek 2011
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Black is in zugzwang: any king's move allows 2.h7 and white queens.
Lubomir Kavalek: Winners of the New in Chess/Huffington Post Chess Contest Lubomir Kavalek 2011
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How it tied up Karpov's pieces almost to the point of zugzwang?
Lubomir Kavalek: The Most Treacherous Defense in Chess Lubomir Kavalek 2011
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Kg4 Black is in zugzwang and must lose the pawn on g6.
Lubomir Kavalek: Pitching a Perfect Chess Game Lubomir Kavalek 2011
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To achieve it, black has to use the zugzwang, forcing the rook or the king out of their best defensive set-up.
Lubomir Kavalek: The Hand of God in Chess? Lubomir Kavalek 2011
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Kg4 Black is in zugzwang and must lose the pawn on g6.
Lubomir Kavalek: Pitching a Perfect Chess Game Lubomir Kavalek 2011
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When he reached zugzwang, he resisted the urge to upend the chess board.
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In chess, such situations are described as zugzwang, or the necessity to move when every decision has negative consequences.
seanahan commented on the word zugzwang
A term used in chess to describe the position where a player is forced to make a move, where his best move, if possible, would be to pass.
December 22, 2006
rocksinmypockets commented on the word zugzwang
I am going to say this word over, and over, and over. Just cuz it's fun.
October 26, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word zugzwang
AbraxasZugzwang would be so proud. :)
October 26, 2007
mechanolatry commented on the word zugzwang
German -- compulsion to move
January 29, 2009
bilby commented on the word zugzwang
There's a neatly illustrated non-chess zugzwang over here.
September 6, 2013