5D chess en · NOUN
Etymology
Short for five-dimensional chess, suggesting an even more complicated variant of 3D chess or 4D chess.
Meanings
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(humorous, uncountable) An extremely complicated strategy involving deception and ulterior motives, especially in politics.
Trump Devotion Syndrome manifests itself through a kind of intellectual gymnastics, where contradictions are not confronted but reinterpreted, where they are not acknowledged but rather are framed as strategy. In any other context, this would raise serious concerns, but instead it is explained away as “5D chess,” media distortions, or the actions of rogue staffers.
2026 April 22, Scott Ventureyra, “A Tale of Two Forms of TDS”, in Crisis Magazine, archived from the original on 08 Jun 2026:I did speak with some sources who had kind feelings toward [ Sam Bankman-Fried ]. "Like most people, he's a human. End of sentence. Just because everybody assumes everybody's playing 5D chess or, like, isn't a human in some significant way, and that's just not the case."
2024 August 13, Nate Silver, quoting Dan Chapsky, On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything, Random House, →ISBN:I'm not here to play 5D chess with Charlie, but he keeps roping me in. I try my best to reroute the conversation off us.
2017 October 31, Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie, Lovers Like Us, K.B. Ritchie, →ISBN:Orange Messiah Syndrome is the terminal stage of political idol worship. It replaces discernment with dopamine. Truth with theatrics. Faith with flags. He could do no wrong. Every failure was 5D chess. Every betrayal was a masterstroke. Every injection, lockdown, and emergency authorization was somehow part of a divine plan. Even when he delivered them to the biotech altar—warp speed syringe in hand—they thanked him.
2025 April 20, Penguin X-01, “CHAPTER SCROLL 2: ORANGE MESSIAH SYNDROME”, in MAGAtards: The False Idol Patriot, PenguinsMerch:I have grown to fully trust Donald Trump. He may seem rude, silly, and clumsy from time to time, but he has earned my trust in the past two and a half years as I have followed his every move. He is a genius — a 5D chess player, a man with a huge heart.
2024 July 3, Katrina Vaillancourt, quoting Janet, ReQovery: How I Tumbled Down the QAnon Rabbit Hole and Climbed Out, Katrina Vaillancourt & GreenSong Press, →ISBN:
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Translations (1)
pl szachy 5D (Translations)