4D chess

• 4-D chess, four-dimensional chess

An extension of the older term three-dimensional chess, which is an actual chess variant which is viewed as being very complex, and had long been 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.

4D chess

1. (usually ironic) A sophisticated strategy that is far beyond the comprehension of others, in which apparent blunders are simply indicators of yet-to-be-understood brilliance.
   • “Messi’s Departure Is a Mess Everyone Could See Coming”, in New York Times‎, 2021 August 5: “These are the actions of a club flailing around to make things work, not the 4D chess moves of some Machiavellian puppet master.”
   • “The Enduring Appeal of Seeing Trump as Chess Master in Chief”, in New York Times‎, 2017 May 31: “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.”
   • “The Trump Administration Shakes ‘House of Cards’ Hard”, in New York Times‎, 2017 May 31: “He plays four-dimensional chess while his current analogue often seems to play Whac-a-Mole.”

   play 4D chess