Alex from Columbia, Missouri, wonders about rank and file, meaning “the members of the body of an organization as opposed to its leaders.” In 12th-century France, the words renc or ranc referred to a row of soldiers. The word file means a “line” or...
Springtime is the right time to feel twitterpated—you know, you’re smitten beyond a crush. Speaking of relationships, are dog owners really owners, or should they call themselves something else, like guardian or human? And if you’re up for a...
The term zugzwang comes from chess, and refers to that situation where you can’t make any desirable moves—like being between a rock and a hard place. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Zugzwang” Hello, you have A Way with Words...
chessically adv.— «I can’t say I’ll miss Bobby Fischer. Chessically speaking, he died years ago. But I’ll continue to miss the player and artist that he was, his courageous honesty and sublime creativity. He wasn’t just a great player. He went...
second n.— «From time to time, he engages friends who double as trainers, or “seconds” as they are called in chess parlance. These seconds are players of reasonable playing strength who, ahead of important competitions, study various openings and...
blitz n.— «Shawn comes to Wall Street to play a type of chess called blitz, a game in which the ticking of a three-minute clock eliminates the ponderous pauses of traditional chess and transforms the game into a fevered, trash-talking street sport...
