[Ads-l] X-dimensional chess

[Ben Zimmer]

On Tue, Feb 20, 2018 at 10:09 AM, Jim Parish <jparish at siue.edu> wrote:

> Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
>> Creaky oldsters will recall the first time we saw Spock playing
>> three-dimensional chess on board the old Enterprise back in 19 and 66.
>>
>> Recently a Trump supporter on TV explained that the president constantly
>> plays "four-dimensional chess."
>>
>> Last night on CNN another one assured viewers that, while it may not seem
>> that he's doing anything about Russian bad behavior, he's  working hard
>> *behind* the scenes, in ways we can know nothing about. The explanation
>> was
>> that, as a successful businessman, Mr. Trump plays "eight-dimensional
>> chess" his wonders to perform.
>>
>> And in the words of a GB author,  "Not even Garry Kasparov could grasp the
>> basic principles of eight-dimensional chess."
>>
>> Myself, I prefer extradimensional chess  (68 Google hits). It enables me
>> to
>> work out most of my schemes in parallel dimensions until such time as I
>> care to reveal them in this existential sector.
>>
>
> Some of President Obama's more vigorous supporters were mocked as
> believing that he played political "eleven-dimensional chess".


"11" and "12" are the most typical X's in Obama-style "X-dimensional chess."

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/who-wrote-rules-12-dimensional-chess/311440/

CNN's Chris Cillizza likes to say Trump is playing "zero-dimensional chess."

https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/08/politics/trump-corker-attack/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/20/politics/donald-trump-jeff-flake-tweet/index.html

--bgz

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