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Worried man at chess board in zugzwang

Zugzwang

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The German word Zugzwang is used in English as the definitive term to describe a situation arising in chess, and other activities where two players alternate moves, when one player is obliged to move and by doing so certainly worsen their position, or even guarantee that they will lose the match. In that case a player is said to be “in zugzwang”. This could be paraphrased as “It’s your move, and things can only get worse”, or “Your move, you lose”.

The German noun Zug means a pull or move, and also means a train, and comes from the verb ziehen,  meaning to pull. The German noun Zwang has broad meanings, including meaning a force, constraint, compulsion, obligation or pressure, coming from the verb zwingen, which means to force, compel, oblige, coerce, or constrain.