ChessStalemate is the most common way beginners turn a win into a draw: you're a whole queen up, your opponent has only a king left, and after your move they're not in check but can't move at all. That's not a win, it's a draw. This page explains how stalemate happens and how to avoid it, and how to use it the other way round to save a lost game. When you're done, practice finishing games at free online chess.
What is stalemate?
If it's a player's turn, their king is not in check, but they have no legal move at all, the game ends immediately in a draw.
Compare it with checkmate. There's only one difference: is the king in check?
| King in check | King not in check | |
|---|---|---|
| Has a legal move | Must get out of check, play goes on | Normal play |
| No legal move | Checkmate, a loss | Stalemate, a draw |
In the same position, the queen going to f8 would be checkmate. For the full technique, see queen mate.
Why is stalemate a draw?
Lots of people think it's unfair the first time: the opponent has nowhere left to go, after all.
The thinking behind the rule: the goal of chess is checkmate, not leaving your opponent unable to move. No check, no goal reached. The rules used to differ from place to place. One story says that in England stalemate once counted as a win or a loss for the stalemated side, and it was only after the 19th century that it became a draw everywhere.
The three most common stalemates
The queen boxes the king in too early
That's the example above. The queen is so powerful that it can seal off every square without you noticing. When your opponent has only a king left, count before every move: does it still have somewhere to go?
Pawn on the seventh, king on the wrong square
The right way is to bring the king beside the pawn and leave the promotion square free:
Pawn endgames are full of these one-move differences. See king and pawn vs king.
The enemy pawn reaches the seventh and the queen can't finish the chase
A queen usually beats a lone pawn. But if it's an a-, c-, f- or h-pawn that has already reached the seventh rank, the defender can often hide the king in the corner and hold the draw by stalemate. The full technique is in queen vs pawn.
When you're losing: stalemate on purpose
Flip it around: you're about to lose, but if you can leave yourself with no move at all, you save half a point.
The usual trick is to trap your king in a corner and then give away every other piece you have. Say you have only a rook left: keep checking with it, and the moment your opponent takes the rook, you have no move. This "it's lost anyway, so take something first" idea is a lot like the desperado.
So when you're ahead and your opponent suddenly starts throwing pieces at you, stop and think: are they trying to get a stalemate?
Puzzle: don't stalemate
Show answer
1. Qf8# The white queen goes to f8 with check. The black king's g8, g7 and h7 are all covered: checkmate. If you play Qf7 instead, the black king isn't in check and has no move, and it's stalemate.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between stalemate and checkmate?
In both, one side has no legal move. In check with no move is checkmate, a loss. Not in check but with no move is stalemate, a draw.
If I only have a king left, will I always be stalemated?
No. As long as the king has one square to go to, or you have another piece that can move (like a pawn that isn't blocked), it's not stalemate. Stalemate only happens when there is no legal move at all.
Besides stalemate, what other draws are there?
There's a draw by agreement, the same position repeated three times, 50 moves in a row with no capture and no pawn move, and positions where neither side has enough pieces left to checkmate (for example, only the two kings). They're all summed up in check, checkmate and draws.
Try it yourself
Go play chess against the computer and practice the queen mate: before every move, check whether the enemy king still has somewhere to go, so you don't turn your last move into a draw. To learn what each piece is worth, see piece values.