Definitions
Etymologies
- From German Zugzwang, literally "compulsion to move" (Wiktionary)
- German Zugzwang : Zug, pull, move (from Middle High German zuc, pull, from Old High German, from ziohan, to pull; see deuk- in Indo-European roots) + Zwang, compulsion (from Middle High German twanc, from Old High German). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“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.”
“zugzwang" chess position, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said in his weekly letter on Friday.”
“To achieve it, black has to use the zugzwang, forcing the rook or the king out of their best defensive set-up.”
The Huffington Post: Lubomir Kavalek: The Hand of God in Chess?
“Black is in zugzwang: any king's move allows 2.h7 and white queens.”
The Huffington Post: Lubomir Kavalek: Winners of the New in Chess/Huffington Post Chess Contest
“Kg4 Black is in zugzwang and must lose the pawn on g6.”
The Huffington Post: Lubomir Kavalek: Pitching a Perfect Chess Game
“How it tied up Karpov's pieces almost to the point of zugzwang?”
The Huffington Post: Lubomir Kavalek: The Most Treacherous Defense in Chess
“When he reached zugzwang, he resisted the urge to upend the chess board.”
“In chess, such situations are described as zugzwang, or the necessity to move when every decision has negative consequences.”
“The chess term is zugzwang not zuzwang, and it means that all possible moves make your position worse.”
“There may be a ring of partial truth to it but the idea that the government is effectively in zugzwang when it comes to choosing its members is not credible.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘zugzwang’.
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250 Spelling Words
A selected sampling of words for intermediate and advanced spellers.
orecchiette, rhabdomancy, guayabera, orthoepy, opisthenar, maguey, proem, ciabatta, cioppino, banns, concinnity, asthenia and 237 more...
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phrontistery-z
from phrontistery.info
zabaglione, zabernism, zabra, zabuton, zaffre, zaftig, zaitech, zakuska, zalambdodont, zamacueca, zamarra, zambomba and 208 more...
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Tricky To Spell or Pronounce
ply, stationary, stationery, monetize, finagle, cartilaginous, apposite, languor, douceur, Umwelt, faze, sequela and 13 more...
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There's a word for it
catkin, pastiche, badonkadonk, biome, omphaloscopy, pogonophobia, reptation, anathema, xyst, commodify, commoditize, monetize and 69 more...
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Knee Deep in Chic
Words, prose, bon mots, and literary styles that cause a contagious enthusiasm by its very existence. They can be muses to a story. rekindling the spark that went out. The cure-all elixir to a bla...
euphuism, quiddity, saudade, zugzwang, razbliuto, parti pris, oleaginous, crevasse, chantepleure, chiaroscuro, prestidigitation, dysphemism and 79 more...
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Miscellaneous
‽, ☤, mandelbrot, angora rabbit, psychrolutes marc..., vampyroteuthis in..., basking shark, mano de desierto, underwater sculpt..., surgical dining, gyroscope, Derinkuyu and 161 more...
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difficult words
ordure, tatterwallop, callipygian, odious, colophon, cynosure, hardener, emollience, valetudinarian, demonym, volage, polysemantic and 256 more...
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All The Words
I enjoy collecting words, for I have no fear of them ever running out.
tatterdemalion, panopticon, idioglossia, hypnagogue, hypnopomp, defenestration, anacoluthon, scofflaw, affront, edifying, palimpsest, naufrage and 475 more...
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Wordplayer's Wonderful Words
chaparral, grotesque, knork, newsmonger, thitherwards, fackeltanz, kakistocracy, sforzando, compendium, frump, inquere, phosphene and 100 more...
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juv3nal's Words
ligature, hermeneutic, caduceus, prelapsarian, apophenia, pataphor, lipogram, epinephrine, ludic, samizdat, oulipo, oulipopo and 194 more...
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word tank
a couple words
logolepsy, nefarious, quintessential, tintinnabulation, serendipity, rhapsody, palimpsest, panoply, mellifluous, imbue, loquacious, garrulous and 174 more...
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German words
blödsinn, heimat, abendbrot, lebkuchen, schelm, currywurst, knatschig, spekulatius, knäppchen, apfelkitsche, woll, wonnich and 98 more...
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New words
Words that are new to me.
autostrada, gimlet, clyster, gravida, skelped, nacreous, susurrus, intransigent, puissant, turbid, plangent, fungible and 99 more...
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#termsfromtoday
I'm always entertained by the terms @immerito tweets using the hashtag #termsfromtoday. As best I can tell, the tag emerged in mid 2011 after a brief flirtation with an alternate hashtag form. You'...
vortex ring state, gamine, airshed, drayage, judging rubric, shoulder graphic, diableries, exaptation, aggravant, anecdata, monégasques, vorticity and 304 more...
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Words that were new to me
but now they're not because I looked them up. In cases of polysemy or homography, *of course* it was the oddest meaning that stumped me. ;)
Procrustean bed, idem sonans, hob, backcap, quango, cheap-jack, pantechnicon, churrigueresco, chopfallen, maritorious, supererogation, catimini and 212 more...
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List Erine
cool mint antiseptic
shalom, cattywampus, bourgeoisie, aerophile, traverse, grotto, epicurean, ex cathedra, nautilus, epitaph, lathe, continuum and 753 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for zugzwang.
mechanolatry German -- compulsion to move Jan 28, 2009
chained_bear AbraxasZugzwang would be so proud. :) Oct 26, 2007
rocksinmypockets I am going to say this word over, and over, and over. Just cuz it's fun. Oct 26, 2007
seanahan 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. Dec 22, 2006