Answers.Body: <p>Chess historian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winter_%28chess_historian%29">Edward Winter</a> has a page listing the <a href="http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/earliest.html">earliest known occurrences</a> of various chess terms in English, relying mostly on citations from the <a href="http://www.oed.com/"><em>OED</em></a>, though for these two terms he has slight improvements on those. For <em>Zwischenzug</em> the earliest known use is in <em>Chess Strategy and Tactics</em>, by Fred Reinfeld and Irving Chernev from 1933. For <em>Zugzwang</em> the earliest known use is in the February 1905 issue of <em>Lasker's Chess Magazine</em>.</p>
  
  <p>As to why these terms caught on in English, I'd say the main factor, at least for <em>Zugzwang</em>, is that German is good at packing a lot of meaning into a single compound word in ways that English isn't. In fact, though <em>Zugzwang</em> was used as early as 1905 in English, Winter indicates in <a href="http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/zugzwang.html">another article</a> specifically on <em>Zugzwang</em> that usage of that term wasn't common in English chess literature until the appearance of the English translation of Nimzowitsch's <em>My System</em>. He notes that the translator, Philip Hereford, wrote in his introduction that <em>Zugzwang</em> was the only word he left untranslated</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>"mainly, because the single word conveys an idea, or complex of ideas, which can only be expressed in English by a circumlocution."</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>Sure enough, if you try to think of another way to say "Player A is in <em>Zugzwang</em>," you do find yourself needing to be much wordier, like "Player A is compelled to move, to his own disadvantage."</p>
  
  <p>The same reason doesn't seem as important for <em>Zwischenzug</em> though, as it's no easier to call something a <em>Zwischenzug</em> than to call it an "in-between move," the literal translation of the term. I don't know, sometimes language is funny I guess.</p>
  
  <p><strong>Speculative update:</strong> Here's an off-the-wall guess. As Winter notes, the first use of <em>Zwischenzug</em> in English was in 1933. And he also thinks that the English edition of <em>My System</em>, which was shortly before in 1929, is what brought the use of <em>Zugzwang</em> into widespread use. So maybe that simply made it "fashionable" at the time to use a similar term like <em>Zwischenzug</em> as well. Chess players are already sort of like that, with openings coming into and out of fashion over time.</p>
  
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Answers.Text: Well you could have created a new word for it in english like "snarf", but I guess it is even harder to spread such a creation... As a compound word in german is carrying its meaning without further clarification.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Kami Kaze
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Answers.Text: German allows putting words together to create new, single words.  Zugzwang consists of "Zug" (move) and "Zwang" (forced).  Zwischenzug consists of "Zwischen" (in between) and "Zug".
Answers.UserDisplayName: Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen
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Answers.Text: In México players use the word Zugzwang but not Zwischenzug, instead we use "jugada intermedia" that is the same as "in-between move"
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Body: <p>I've heard chess analysts use the words Zugzwang (being forced to make a bad move) and Zwischenzug (making an intermediate move which improves the outcome of the next move) in commentary.</p>
  
  <p>Does anyone know how these German words found their way into the chess vernacular? </p>
  
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Tags: <history><terminology><zugzwang><zwischenzug>
Title: What are the origins of the words 'zwischenzug' and 'zugzwang'?
ThreadText: # What are the origins of the words 'zwischenzug' and 'zugzwang'?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2012-06-01)
  
  I've heard chess analysts use the words Zugzwang (being forced to make a bad move) and Zwischenzug (making an intermediate move which improves the outcome of the next move) in commentary.
  
  Does anyone know how these German words found their way into the chess vernacular?
  
  **Tags:** history, terminology, zugzwang, zwischenzug
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: http://www.username_1/blog/two-pulls  
  > **username_1**: http://www.username_1/blog/the-duke-of-chess  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2012-06-01. Score: 15 | Accepted answer
  
  Chess historian [Edward Winter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Winter_%28chess_historian%29) has a page listing the [earliest known occurrences](http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/earliest.html) of various chess terms in English, relying mostly on citations from the [*OED*](http://www.oed.com/), though for these two terms he has slight improvements on those. For *Zwischenzug* the earliest known use is in *Chess Strategy and Tactics*, by Fred Reinfeld and Irving Chernev from 1933. For *Zugzwang* the earliest known use is in the February 1905 issue of *Lasker's Chess Magazine*.
  
  As to why these terms caught on in English, I'd say the main factor, at least for *Zugzwang*, is that German is good at packing a lot of meaning into a single compound word in ways that English isn't. In fact, though *Zugzwang* was used as early as 1905 in English, Winter indicates in [another article](http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/zugzwang.html) specifically on *Zugzwang* that usage of that term wasn't common in English chess literature until the appearance of the English translation of Nimzowitsch's *My System*. He notes that the translator, Philip Hereford, wrote in his introduction that *Zugzwang* was the only word he left untranslated
  
  > "mainly, because the single word conveys an idea, or complex of ideas, which can only be expressed in English by a circumlocution."
  
  Sure enough, if you try to think of another way to say "Player A is in *Zugzwang*," you do find yourself needing to be much wordier, like "Player A is compelled to move, to his own disadvantage."
  
  The same reason doesn't seem as important for *Zwischenzug* though, as it's no easier to call something a *Zwischenzug* than to call it an "in-between move," the literal translation of the term. I don't know, sometimes language is funny I guess.
  
  **Speculative update:** Here's an off-the-wall guess. As Winter notes, the first use of *Zwischenzug* in English was in 1933. And he also thinks that the English edition of *My System*, which was shortly before in 1929, is what brought the use of *Zugzwang* into widespread use. So maybe that simply made it "fashionable" at the time to use a similar term like *Zwischenzug* as well. Chess players are already sort of like that, with openings coming into and out of fashion over time.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: German allows putting words together to create new, single words.  Zugzwang consists of "Zug" (move) and "Zwang" (forced).  Zwischenzug consists of "Zwischen" (in between) and "Zug".  
  > **username_5**: In México players use the word Zugzwang but not Zwischenzug, instead we use "jugada intermedia" that is the same as "in-between move"  
  > **username_3**: Well you could have created a new word for it in english like "snarf", but I guess it is even harder to spread such a creation... As a compound word in german is carrying its meaning without further clarification.  
  
  ---
  
  