zugzwang
[ tsook-tsvahng ]
/ ˈtsukˌtsvɑŋ /
noun Chess.
a situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect.
Origin of zugzwang
1900–05; < German, equivalent to
Zug move +
Zwang constraint, obligation
Words nearby zugzwang
zucchetto,
zucchini,
zuckerman,
zug,
zugspitze,
zugzwang,
zuider zee,
zuidholland,
zukerman,
zukofsky,
zukor
Example sentences from the Web for zugzwang
The Belarusian opposition is trapped in a zugzwang: personal casualties are the cost of their political progress.
Forget Kim Jong Un—China’s New Favorite Dictator Is Belarus’s Aleksandr Lukashenko. |Kapil Komireddi |January 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for zugzwang
zugzwang
/ (German ˈtsuːktsvaŋ) chess /
noun
a position in which one player can move only with loss or severe disadvantage
verb
(tr)
to manoeuvre (one's opponent) into a zugzwang
Word Origin for zugzwang
from German, from
Zug a pull, tug +
Zwang force, compulsion