kriegspiel means A board game used to train military tactics and strategy. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why this word is great
KRIEGSPIEL — [Noun] A chess variant or board game designed for the instruction of military tactics, defined by players making moves with imperfect knowledge of the opponent's position and strength. From German Kriegspiel, from Krieg ("war") + Spiel ("game"). Unlike "wargame"—a broad term for any conflict simulation—or "chess"—that hermetically sealed arena of perfect logic—Kriegspiel is a formalized theater of calculated shadows. It is the clunk of wooden blocks shifted on a map only you can see, the strained silence of an umpire's whispered verdict, and the cold dread of committing your one precious battalion to a valley that may be empty or may hold the enemy's entire reserve. The game is a stark, rational framework confessing that strategy is merely intention, while war is ultimately a rule-bound guess about the shape of the dark.
noun
- A board game used to train military tactics and strategy.
- A variant of chess in which the player cannot see their opponent's pieces.