What stalemate is
Stalemate is a position in which the player to move has no legal move at all, yet their king is not in check. Stalemate is a draw, however many pieces the opponent has.
Do not confuse stalemate with checkmate: in checkmate the king is in check and there is no defence; in stalemate there is no check, there is simply nowhere to move.
A painful mistake
In the position above White is a whole queen up, yet instead of a win it is a draw. That is exactly how stalemate usually happens: the stronger side is in a hurry and takes away the king's last free squares without giving check.
Here is the same position one move earlier. The queen is on g5 and it is White's move. If White plays Qg6?? it is stalemate. The right thing is to checkmate.
White to move. Mate in 1
Show solution
1. Qg7# — the queen, protected by the king, gives check at close range. Qg8# also mates, as do checks along the h-file — Qh4#, Qh5#, Qh6#.
How to avoid stalemate
- When your opponent has only a king left, before every move ask yourself: does it have at least one move?
- Leave the enemy king a free square until the mating blow is ready.
- Remember the opponent's pawns: if they are blocked and the king is boxed in, stalemate is very close.
Stalemate as a rescue
For the weaker side, stalemate is a legitimate way to save the game. In a difficult position, look for moves after which you will have no moves left: sometimes the opponent drives your king into the corner all by themselves.
Other ways to end a game in a draw are described in the article “Draw”.