In short: When having to move is a disadvantage: every legal move makes the position worse.
Zugzwang is German for “compulsion to move.” The word describes a strange situation: you stand well as long as you don't have to move, but it is your turn, and every move you can make spoils something. Passing isn't allowed in chess.
Usually it is an advantage to be the one to move. You get to do something useful, and your opponent has to wait. In zugzwang it is the other way around.
Mutual zugzwang
Sometimes it applies to both sides at once. Then the game is decided only by who has to move. In the position below, White's king attacks the pawn on d5 and at the same time protects the pawn on d4. Black's king does exactly the same the other way around.
If White is to move, the king has to leave c5, and then Black takes the pawn on d4. If Black is to move, the black king has to leave e4, and then White takes the pawn on d5. The same position, but whoever has to move loses.
The waiting move
If you have a move that changes nothing important, a waiting move, you can hand the problem over to your opponent. Often it is a pawn somewhere else entirely on the board that takes a step.
Where does zugzwang turn up?
Almost always in the endgame, where there are few pieces and few moves to choose from. In pawn endgames it is an everyday thing, and it goes hand in hand with the opposition. In the middlegame, with many pieces left, there is usually some harmless move to make, but even there a player can sometimes be left without a single good move.
Not the same as stalemate. In zugzwang there are legal moves, they are just bad. In stalemate there are no legal moves at all, and then the game is over, drawn.
Frequently asked questions
What does zugzwang mean?
Zugzwang is German for “compulsion to move.” It describes a position where the player to move would rather pass, because every legal move makes the position worse.
Can you pass a move in chess?
No. The player to move has to move. That is exactly why zugzwang exists.
When is zugzwang most common?
In endgames, especially pawn endgames. There are few pieces and few moves to choose from, and a single king move can decide the game.
Updated October 31, 2026