Zugzwang and Single

My Personal Zugzwang

Mardean Isaac | Republic Of Letters | 13th September 2026

Chess anchors people across cultures because it is a game of strategy. “That is the key to its longevity: where culture changes and evolves, strategy survives and persists — mere as itself.” Zugzwang, the “situation in which you have no choice but to make a move that will worsen your position”, may be a metaphor for life itself: “you are always responsible for advancing yourself — even, and especially, into oblivion” (3,100 words)

Asia’s Lonely Economy Of One

Y Tony Yang | Asia Times | 14th September 2026

Across China, Japan and South Korea, single-person households are on the rise. “Markets are good at unbundling meals, entertainment and paid company. They are bad at unbundling the two things families did best: insurance against catastrophe and the last mile of care. The check-in app bluntly named “Are You Dead?” is a paid substitute for a job that, until recently, needed no product” (1,800 words)