To a chess player, “zugzwang” refers to a position in which any move is to the player’s disadvantage. In a 1923 match called “The Immortal Zugzwang Game,” the player Aron Nimzowitsch forced Friedrich Sämisch into zugzwang in only 25 moves — quite an impressive feat for any chess strategist. The word — which comes from the German “zug,” meaning “pull,” and “zwang,” meaning “force, coercion” — also has been adopted into the lexicon beyond the chess board. You can use “zugzwang” for any situation in which there’s no good option, such as having to pick between two friends to attend an event that you have only one extra ticket for.