Answers.Body: <p>No.</p>
  
  <p>If you look up the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zugzwang" rel="noreferrer">meaning of "zugzwang"</a> you will see something like</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move") is a situation found in
    chess and other games wherein one player is put at a disadvantage
    because they must make a move when they would prefer to pass and not
    move. The fact that the player is compelled to move means that their
    position will become significantly weaker. A player is said to be "in
    zugzwang" when any possible move will worsen their position.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>So, by definition if there is only one legal move and it makes your position better then it is not zugzwang.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-08-14T23:07:41.037Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-08-14T23:07:41.037Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Brian Towers
Answers.Body: <p>Like Brian Towers wrote, a zugzwang by definition can't be helpful to the recipient, but if we go past the terminology and look at your second question: "white forces black to make a move that gives black an advantage. Is that possible?", the answer is yes. You can even force the other player to checkmate you; there's even a class of chess problems called <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfmate" rel="noreferrer">selfmates</a></em>.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-08-15T00:24:11.333Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2018-08-15T00:24:11.333Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: itub
Body: <p>Are there positions where a zugzwang helps the zugzwang'ed player? For instance, white forces black to make a move that gives black an advantage. Is that possible?</p>
  
Tags: <zugzwang>
Title: Helpful Zugzwang?
ThreadText: # Helpful Zugzwang?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2018-08-14)
  
  Are there positions where a zugzwang helps the zugzwang'ed player? For instance, white forces black to make a move that gives black an advantage. Is that possible?
  
  **Tags:** zugzwang
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2018-08-15. Score: 10 | Accepted answer
  
  Like username_1 username_1 wrote, a zugzwang by definition can't be helpful to the recipient, but if we go past the terminology and look at your second question: "white forces black to make a move that gives black an advantage. Is that possible?", the answer is yes. You can even force the other player to checkmate you; there's even a class of chess problems called *[selfmates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfmate)*.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2018-08-14. Score: 5
  
  No.
  
  If you look up the [meaning of "zugzwang"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zugzwang) you will see something like
  
  > Zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move") is a situation found in
  > chess and other games wherein one player is put at a disadvantage
  > because they must make a move when they would prefer to pass and not
  > move. The fact that the player is compelled to move means that their
  > position will become significantly weaker. A player is said to be "in
  > zugzwang" when any possible move will worsen their position.
  
  So, by definition if there is only one legal move and it makes your position better then it is not zugzwang.
  
  
  ---
  
  