5D chess

English

Alternative forms

• 4D chess, 4-D chess, four-dimensional chess

Etymology

Short for five-dimensional chess, suggesting an even more complicated variant of 3D chess or 4D chess.

Noun

5D chess (uncountable)

1. (humorous) An extremely complicated strategy involving deception and ulterior motives, especially in politics.
   • 2017 October 31, Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie, Lovers Like Us, K.B. Ritchie, →ISBN:

     I'm not here to play 5D chess with Charlie, but he keeps roping me in. I try my best to reroute the conversation off us.

   • 2024 July 3, Katrina Vaillancourt, quoting Janet, ReQovery: How I Tumbled Down the QAnon Rabbit Hole and Climbed Out, Katrina Vaillancourt & GreenSong Press, →ISBN:

     I have grown to fully trust Donald Trump. He may seem rude, silly, and clumsy from time to time, but he has earned my trust in the past two and a half years as I have followed his every move. He is a genius — a 5D chess player, a man with a huge heart.

   • 2024 August 13, Nate Silver, quoting Dan Chapsky, On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything, Random House, →ISBN:

     I did speak with some sources who had kind feelings toward [ Sam Bankman-Fried ]. "Like most people, he's a human. End of sentence. Just because everybody assumes everybody's playing 5D chess or, like, isn't a human in some significant way, and that's just not the case."