Word of the Day

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

zugzwang

   \TSOOK-tsvahng\ , noun;

1.

A situation in which a player is limited to moves that have a damaging effect.

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Quotes:

Oh, he understands his position: he is in trouble, he is faced with the zugzwang to end all zugzwangs.

-- Doug Dorst, The Surf Guru

Party rulers in China are trapped in a position that chess players deeply fear - zugzwang - where any move made puts you at disadvantage.

-- Vitaliy Katsenelson, "How China Will Crash And Burn," Forbes, July, 2011

Origin:

Zugzwang combines two German words, zug, "move," and zwang, "constraint."

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