Chess Stalemate is a special situation that doesn’t happen very often in your chess games.
If the king is not in check and the chess player cannot make a legal move, the chess position is Stalemate. A Stalemate ends the chess game. The result is a draw. This happens sometimes in the endgame, when there are not many pieces on the board.
It is a VERY SMALL chance for the player having a losing position to avoid a loss this way and make a draw and get half a point.
Stalemate succeeds only, if the opponent is INATTENTIVE. ( or half asleep, because you don’t resign…) However, some endgame positions do lead to a stalemate by force and you cannot avoid them.
The reasons for Chess Stalemate are:
- Your chess pieces are blocked by other pieces and for that reason they can’t move.
- Your king must move, but can’t, because he has no place to go.
- Your pieces are protecting your king from check and cannot be moved because they are pinned.
What are the Rules for Stalemate in Chess?
If you can’t make a legal move then you are in a Stalemate. Simple.
Why is a Stalemate not a Win?
The Checkmate is the goal in the game of chess. If you can’t give a checkmate you can’t win. A Stalemate is not a Checkmate because the king is not in check. It is as simple as that.
How to avoid a Stalemate in Chess?
To avoid putting your opponent in a stalemate in an superior endgame position, which you are about to win, simply look to see whether his king or one of his chess pieces can still move AFTER you have made your next move. That’s all.
If YOU are the Player who is losing…
If you are the player with a losing position, just hope that your opponent falls half asleep, because he is terribly bored and pissed off by you because you don’t resign. Hope that a position arises where you can’t move anymore. But this will be very unlikely, I can tell you that much…
See the following chess positions that will give you some ideas how to help creating such a position. But I tell you something, you will make yourself ridiculous when you play on and your opponent is strong and has a huge winning advantage.
I show you some positions now, that will make it clear to you in no time at all.
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| It is black’s turn, but the king can’t move. Chess Stalemate! 0,5 : 0,5 remis or draw. This doesn’t really bother white as the position is drawn anyway because you can’t win with a knight only. |
Black can’t move and the game is drawn. 0,5:0,5 This time white should be annoyed as he was not attentive enough to leave black a square to go to. If I would be white I would be pissed off completely for the rest of the day at least. |
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| It is black’s turn, but the king can’t move. Stalemate! 0,5 : 0,5 remis or draw. | Stalemate! Black is paralysed and the game is drawn. 0,5:0,5 This is really annoying for white too. He is a bloody queen up and still can’t win. He should give up chess unless he is a beginner. Just kidding! |
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| It is black’s move, but the king can’t move. Stalemate! 0,5 : 0,5 remis or draw. | White can’t move and the game is drawn. 0,5:0,5 Stalemate! Boy! If you can’t win that, what can you win? |
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| It is black’s turn, but black can’t move. Stalemate! 0,5 : 0,5 draw (remis) | Black can’t move and the game is drawn. 0,5:0,5 All the hard work for nothing! Just imagine what White went through in a long serious game to achieve such an enormous advantage and then this happens just because he was tired and wondered why his opponent just doesn’t resign. How annoying, isn’t it? |
Bottomline: Watch out for a Stalemate in Chess. Don’t let this happen to you.
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