gamesmanship means the use of legal but unsporting tactics to gain an advantage over one’s opponent. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.
Why “gamesmanship” is a great word
GAMESMANSHIP — [Noun] The art of gaining advantage through psychologically manipulative yet technically legal tactics within a contest's rules. From 'game' (a contest with rules) + the connective '-s-' + '-manship' (denoting skill in a particular area), patterned after words like 'sportsmanship' and 'workmanship'; popularized and likely coined by Stephen Potter in his 1947 book 'The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship'. Unlike 'sportsmanship', which enshrines fair play and respect, or 'cheating', which constitutes explicit rule-breaking, gamesmanship operates in the liminal space of psychological subversion. It is the sympathetic inquiry about an opponent's recent illness just before serve, the theatrical sigh of boredom during their concentration, the deliberate slowing of play to disrupt all rhythm—a cold craft that affirms victory often lies in the superior management of doubt, not merely in superior skill.
Etymology
From game + -s- + -manship or gamesman + -ship.
noun
- The use of legal but unsporting tactics to gain an advantage over one’s opponent.“They kept the other team waiting on the field until the last possible moment – that was a clear case of gamesmanship.”