Etymology

zugzwang

zug·zwang
Z10U1G2Z10W4A1N1G2

Today it means: A situation in which a player is forced to make a disadvantageous move; a position where any legal move will worsen a player's situation. Full definition →

German Zugzwang
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. German · borrowed fromZugzwang
  2. English todayzugzwang

From German Zugzwang, from Zug (“move”) + Zwang (“compulsion”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.