Zugzwang

See also: zugzwang

German

Etymology

From Zug (“move”) +‎ Zwang (“compulsion”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtsuːkˌtsvaŋ/, [ˈt͡suːkˌt͡sʋaŋ] (standard)
• IPA^(key): /ˈtsʊxˌtsvaŋ/ (northern and central Germany; now chiefly colloquial)

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Zugzwang m (strong, genitive Zugzwangs or Zugzwanges, plural Zugzwänge)

1. zugzwang
   1. (games, especially chess) Synonym of Zugpflicht (“the rule that a player cannot forgo a move”)
      • 2006, Claus Voigt, “Kühe und Leoparden [Cows and Leopards]”, in Asiatische Spiele [Asian Games], Humboldt, page 75:

        Kühe können entlang den Linien um ein Feld gezogen werden. Sie können nicht springen und nicht schlagen. Für beide Parteien gilt Zugzwang. Für den Leoparden gilt kein Schlagzwang.

        Cows can be moved along the lines by one square. They cannot jump nor capture any piece. Both players are forced to make a move. The leopard is not forced to capture a piece if possible.

   2. (hence more specifically) a situation where this rule forces a player to make a disadvantageous move
   3. (by extension) a situation where someone is under pressure to take action, though not necessarily with disadvantageous consequences.

Declension

Declension of Zugzwang [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Zugzwang	die	Zugzwänge
genitive	eines	des	Zugzwangs, Zugzwanges	der	Zugzwänge
dative	einem	dem	Zugzwang, Zugzwange1	den	Zugzwängen
accusative	einen	den	Zugzwang	die	Zugzwänge

¹Now rare, see notes.

Descendants

• → Armenian: Ցուգցվանգ (Cʻugcʻvang)
• → English: zugzwang
• → French: zugzwang
• → Russian: цугцва́нг (cugcváng)

Further reading

• “Zugzwang” in Duden online
• Zugzwang on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de
• “Zugzwang” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache