chess situation in which any move is a bad move

The fact that the player is compelled to move means that his position will become significantly weaker. A player is said to be “in zugzwang” when any possible move will worsen his position.

zugzwang

zugzwang 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.

Zugzwang is a German word meaning “obligation to move”. The term is used for a position in which whoever has the move would obtain a worse result than if it were the opponent’s turn to play.