Zugzwang means that you are forced to make a move, but any move you make worsens your position and is considered losing. Zugzwang is a term first used in chess around 1904 in Germany. It is derived from the German words “Zug” (meaning move) and “Zwang” (meaning compulsion). Many people consider themselves to be in zugzwang, however no position in life is truly losing. 

People might consider themselves in zugzwang when they are in student debt, in a capitalistic society, under family pressure, or experiencing grief are all reasons one might feel stuck in zugzwang.  

All the student debt builds up making it seem impossible to get out of and no matter what you do it just keeps rising and rising, but eventually through some years of work and promotions eventually you’ll be able to pay off the student debt that built up. Thus, although it seems like you are in zugzwang it is not truly zugzwang because there is a way out. 

Maybe due to the capitalistic society it feels like you are forced to be productive and seek out money, and if you do not you get left in the dust and left stranded. However, that simply is not true if you never work maybe, but there are ways to be productive and get money while also enjoying the simplicities in life. 
Perhaps you are in a scenario where you can either meet your family expectations or follow your dreams. Following your dreams means that your family will be disappointed in you, maybe they even stop supporting you. However, meeting your family expectations means betraying the part of yourself for your family’s expectations. But life is not as straight forward as this there might be a way to do both. For example, if your family wants you to become a doctor, but you enjoy art. Then, you could go to school to become a doctor and paint in your free time. Of course, this is going to take a lot of effort but if you are genuinely passionate about your dreams it should be a feasible solution.   

When experiencing grief people often believe that there are no good ways forward. However, simply moving forward is a good solution that will eventually lead to a day where you can look back at the times and smile in remembrance of the good times spent together. It takes time but it is not always going to be a losing position to be in henceforth it cannot truly be called zugzwang. 
 
True zugzwang does not exist in the real world; it is simply a term used in a board game. Even when all hope seems lost, there is always a winning move that can lead to better solutions—even if it takes 10, 20, or maybe even 100 moves. Eventually, there will be light at the end of the tunnel. If we work to find the correct sequence of moves without ever conceding the match, zugzwang will remain an impossibility that can never truly exist in the world.  
 
 
Sources: 
“Etymonline.” Etymonline, 2025, www.etymonline.com/word/Zugzwang. Accessed 11 May 2025. 
“What Is Zugzwang in Chess? - Chess Terms.” Chess.com, 2024, www.chess.com/terms/zugzwang-chess. Accessed 11 May 2025. 
 
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