move / strategic move
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strategic move
A clever, strategically planned action to achieve a specific goal, often used figuratively in politics or business.
Die Übernahme des Konkurrenten war ein brillanter Schachzug des Unternehmens.
The takeover of the competitor was a brilliant strategic move by the company.
chess move
The movement of a piece in a game of chess according to the rules of the game.
Mit seinem letzten Schachzug setzte er den Gegner matt.
With his last chess move, he checkmated his opponent.
The word is made up of 'Schach' (chess, the game) and 'Zug' (move). So the literal meaning is a move in a game of chess.
Er überlegte lange, bevor er seinen nächsten Schachzug machte.
He thought for a long time before making his next chess move.
The literal meaning refers to the game of chess. You can recognize the figurative, strategic meaning from the context, for example when the topic is politics, business, or a career.
Sein letzter Schachzug im Spiel war sehr überraschend.
His last chess move in the game was very surprising.
In the figurative meaning, 'Schachzug' (strategic move) is often combined with adjectives such as 'klug' (clever), 'genial' (brilliant), 'strategisch' (strategic), or 'überraschend' (surprising). The typical verb used with it is 'machen' (to make).
Die Firma machte einen strategischen Schachzug und senkte die Preise.
The company made a strategic move and lowered its prices.
train / move / draft
Zug can generally refer to a single move in a board game and therefore also works in chess. Schachzug explicitly refers to the rule-compliant movement of a chess piece. If the game context is already clear, Zug is sufficient; without that context, Schachzug is more unambiguous.
Lea überraschte ihren Gegner mit diesem Schachzug.
Lea surprised her opponent with this chess move.
In der Schachpartie überraschte Lea ihren Gegner mit diesem Zug.
During the chess game, Lea surprised her opponent with this move.
