zugzwang
pronunciation
How to pronounce zugzwang in British English:
UK [ˈzʌgzwæŋ]
How to pronounce zugzwang in American English:
US [ˈtsukˌtsvɑŋ]
Word Origin
- zugzwang (n.)
- 1904, in chess, from German Zugzwang, literally "move-compulsion," from Zug "move (in chess), a drawing, pulling, a stretch," from Old High German ziohan "to pull," from Proto-Germanic *teuhan, from PIE root *deuk- "to lead" (see duke (n.)).
Example
- 1. In chess they call it a zugzwang , the position that arises when your next move , any next move , is liable to lead to disaster .
- 2. In chess , the term zugzwang describes a situation in which a player cannot skip a turn but any move he makes will put him in a worse situation .