4D chess

English Alternative forms en 4-D chess four-dimensional chess Etymology An extension of en 3D chess, an actual chess variant seen as being very complex, and long used as a simile ("like a game of 3-D chess") in reference to geopolitics. The term 4D chess ("four-dimensional chess") became popular around 2017, in the context of US politics. Noun - en usually ironic A sophisticated strategy that is far beyond the comprehension of others, especially one in which apparent blunders are simply indicators of yet-to-be-understood brilliance. en 3D chess 5D chess en 1962 Hearings Before Committee of Armed Services of the House of Representatives on Sundry Legislation Affecting the Naval and Military Establishments US Government Printing Office Washington 1140 Mr. STRATTON. Now, with respect to that theory - and all I have is the newspaper articles to go on, to attribute it to you and the Air Force - how can you build missiles to knock out Soviet sites if we don't know where the sites are?General WHITE. A very good question. [Laughter.] This whole subject I would describe as a four-dimensional chess game. There are books and studies all over the country. Unfortunately, I am afraid the public as a whole doesn't read them. I think the first thing to bear in mind is that knowing where your enemy is is an age-old military game. en https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/magazine/the-enduring-appeal-of-seeing-trump-as-chess-master-in-chief.html Steve Bannon, who once referred to Trump as a “blunt instrument” for his ideology, risks 4-D-chess-playing his way straight out of his position of influence, as his president has reportedly become either annoyed or threatened by his attempts to cast himself as the real grandmaster. 2017-05-31 The Enduring Appeal of Seeing Trump as Chess Master in Chief w:The New York Times https://web.archive.org/web/20251008031412/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/magazine/the-enduring-appeal-of-seeing-trump-as-chess-master-in-chief.html 8 October 2025 en https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/arts/television/house-of-cards-season-5-trump.html He plays four-dimensional chess while his current analogue often seems to play Whac-a-Mole. The Trump Administration Shakes ‘House of Cards’ Hard 2017-05-31 w:The New York Times https://web.archive.org/web/20250529042533/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/arts/television/house-of-cards-season-5-trump.html 29 May 2025 en https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/05/sports/soccer/lionel-messi-barcelona.html These are the actions of a club flailing around to make things work, not the 4D chess moves of some Machiavellian puppet master. Messi’s Departure Is a Mess Everyone Could See Coming 2021-08-05 w:The New York Times https://archive.ph/6785X 2021-08-05 en 19 September 2021 Bismuth [pseudonym; Gabriel Girard] The History of the A Button Challenge - Part 2: The Pannenkoek Revolution 2:06 The Complete History of the Super Mario 64 A Button Challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME92WaNDGVM YouTube While everyone else had been playing checkers, Pannenkoek busted out the 4D chess. en 2 Oct 2025 William Davies w:The Guardian A critique of pure stupidity: understanding Trump 2.0 https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oct/02/critique-pure-stupidity-understanding-donald-trump-2 Such speculations are often met with a retort that leans even harder into the stupidity allegation. No, Trump and his people are not playing four-dimensional chess, the response goes – we are simply witnessing the consequences of allowing a deranged man into the highest office, backed by a coterie of dim and unqualified cronies. https://web.archive.org/web/20251116211206/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oct/02/critique-pure-stupidity-understanding-donald-trump-2