Check out our in-depth lesson on stalemate here: Lesson on Stalemate
Stalemate is a kind of draw that happens when one side has NO legal moves to make. If the king is NOT in check, but no piece can be moved without putting the king in check, then the game will end with a stalemate draw.
Examples of Stalemate
Example | Scenario |
A simple case of Stalemate | In the image below if it's Black's turn to move, the game is over—stalemate! But why?
This is due to one of the rules of chess: you may never move your king into check. If we examine all of Black's options, we'll find that every square he can move to is attacked by the queen:
Black has no legal moves, and so the game is declared a draw. |
A more complicated Stalemate | Stalemate can also happen with a lot more pieces on the board. In the example below it's Black's turn. What piece can he move?
Even though Black has more pieces than in the other scenario, none of them can move because they are blocked by other pieces!
It may seem like the bishop is free to move, but it is pinned by the rook. The king has three squares to choose from, but if he moves up to a7, he's in the path of the rook on h7. If he moves over to b8, he's in the path of the queen, and if he moves to b7, he's double attacked by the queen and rook. Black has no legal moves and yet must make a move. This is the definition of a stalemate |
Stalemate strategy
Trying to trick your opponent into a stalemate is a valid strategy when you're far behind on pieces. Moving into the corner or positioning yourself behind an opponent's pawn are some ways to cause a stalemate if your opponent isn't careful.
To avoid a stalemate, always ensure your opponent has somewhere to move before you block them in too much.