zugzwang
noun /ˈzʌɡzwæŋ/, /ˈzuːɡzwæŋ/
/ˈzʌɡzwæŋ/, /ˈzuːɡzwæŋ/
[uncountable] (from German)- (in chess) a situation in which a player is forced to move a piece into a bad position, especially one from which the piece will be lostWord Originearly 20th cent.: from German Zug ‘move’ + Zwang ‘compulsion’.