Boris

The condition of Boris is similar to what is known in chess as 'zugzwang', or colloquially as 'up sh*t creek without a paddle' – the player, though he or she may be in a strong position, has no good move immediately available, yet is unable to pass or farkle, and must thus move and weaken his/her position. Boris Baryshnikov used this technique against Mrs Trellis in the crucial game of the 1983 World Championship final. He managed to overcome a 43-podume deficit and thereby won an improbable victory against her from an apparently lost position – the only time he ever beat her in match play.

In fact, for a time after this victory, people used to refer to this situation as 'Baryshnikov', and it became accepted as the official name for the condition. But since his first name is easier to spell and pronounce it eventually became more popularly used, and has now been adopted as the standard name purely for the sake of simplicity. (As usual, CAMREC were the last to recognise this designation as 'official', only accepting it when the Holland Park 2000 ruleset was released.)

[JLE]

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