Breakdown of او مهره را زیرکانه حرکت داد و حریف ناشی مسابقه را باخت.
او
he/she
و
and
راrâ
definite direct object marker
مسابقهmosâbeghe
match / competition
باختنbâkhtan
to lose (a game, match)
حریفharif
opponent
مهرهmohre
piece (in a game)
حرکت دادنharekat dâdan
to move (something)
زیرکانهzirakâne
shrewdly
ناشیnâshi
amateur
حرکتharekat
movement, departure
Questions & Answers about او مهره را زیرکانه حرکت داد و حریف ناشی مسابقه را باخت.
How does the suffix -انه work to make the word زیرکانه?
The suffix -انه (-âne) is used to create adverbs of manner (how something is done) from nouns or adjectives. Here, it attaches to the adjective زیرک (clever/smart) to make the adverb زیرکانه (cleverly). It works very much like the English suffix "-ly".
In the second half of the sentence, why does را come after مسابقه instead of حریف ناشی?
Because حریف ناشی (the clumsy opponent) is the subject of the second clause, while مسابقه (the match) is the direct object. The word را always marks a specific direct object. A literal reading of that part is: "the clumsy opponent, the match را, lost".
I usually see مهره translated as "bead" or "nut" (as in nuts and bolts). Why does it mean "piece" here?
In the context of board games like chess or backgammon, مهره is the standard word for a playing "piece". Because this sentence mentions moving it against an opponent (حریف) and losing a match (مسابقه), it clearly refers to a game piece.
Why is the verb حرکت داد used here instead of just حرکت کرد?
The compound verb حرکت دادن is transitive, meaning "to move [something else]" (in this case, he moved the piece). If you used حرکت کردن, it would mean "to move [oneself]", which wouldn't work here since he is performing the action on an object.
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