Playboard
  • Lesson 14 of 32
  • Winning the game
  • 2 min

Stalemate in Chess: Why It's a Draw

Stalemate is the trap that turns a won game into a draw. It happens most often when one side is far ahead and gets careless.

Step 1 of 3

  1. No legal move, no check

    It is Black's turn. The black king on a8 is not in check, but every square it could step to is attacked, and Black has no other piece to move. That is stalemate, and the game ends at once as a draw, however much material White has.

  2. Mate, don't stalemate

    Here White has a choice between a checkmate and a stalemate. Only one of them wins.

    Your move

    Checkmate the black king, without stalemating it.

  3. What is the result?

    It's Black's turn again, in a new position. The black king on h8 is not in check, and every square around it is covered by White's king and queen. What happens now?

    Question

What you learned

  • Stalemate: the player to move has no legal move and is not in check. The game is a draw.
  • It is checkmate only if the king is in check.
  • When you are winning, check that your opponent will still have a move.

In this course

Unit 1The pieces

  1. The Chessboard and How to Set Up the Pieces
  2. How the Rook Moves in Chess
  3. How the Bishop Moves in Chess
  4. How the Queen Moves in Chess
  5. How the King Moves in Chess
  6. How the Knight Moves in Chess
  7. How Pawns Move and Capture in Chess
  8. Chess Piece Values: What Each Piece Is Worth

Unit 2Special moves

  1. What Is Check in Chess, and How to Get Out of It
  2. How to Castle in Chess: Kingside and Queenside
  3. En Passant in Chess, Explained on the Board
  4. Pawn Promotion in Chess: Turning a Pawn Into a Queen

Unit 3Winning the game

  1. What Is Checkmate? Learn to Mate in One
  2. Stalemate in Chess: Why It's a Draw
  3. How to Checkmate With a King and Queen

Unit 4Your first tactics

  1. The Fork: Attack Two Pieces at Once
  2. The Pin in Chess: Freeze a Piece in Place
  3. The Skewer in Chess: Attack Through a Piece

Unit 5Checkmate patterns

  1. Back-Rank Mate in Chess: Spot It and Stop It
  2. Smothered Mate in Chess: The Knight's Checkmate
  3. The Ladder Mate: Checkmate With Two Rooks
  4. How to Checkmate With a King and Rook

Unit 6More tactics

  1. Discovered Attack in Chess: Unmask a Hidden Attacker
  2. Double Check in Chess: Two Checks at Once
  3. Removing the Defender in Chess: Take the Guard

Unit 7Opening principles

  1. Control the Centre: A Chess Opening Principle
  2. How to Develop Your Pieces in the Chess Opening
  3. Scholar's Mate: How It Works and How to Stop It
  4. Fool's Mate: The Fastest Checkmate in Chess

Unit 8Endgame basics

  1. The Rule of the Square in Chess Endgames
  2. The Opposition in Chess: King Endgame Basics
  3. King and Pawn vs King: How to Win the Ending

Lessons for every game

Take it to the table.

Put what you just read into practice. No sign-up needed.

Play ChessRead the Chess rulebook