Definition of "zugzwang" []

• A situation in a chess game in which a player is forced to make an undesirable or disadvantageous move. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "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."