Conversation

#WordOfTheDay

zugzwang

/ˈzʌɡzwaŋ/ /ˈzuːɡzwaŋ/
noun
mass noun
Chess
A situation in which the obligation to make a move in one's turn is a serious, often decisive, disadvantage.

Origin
Early 20th century from German Zug ‘move’ + Zwang ‘compulsion’.

==========

To a pawn, life's inevitable zugzwang comes with no particular public notice.