Now that we have discussed the checkmate move, it is time to explain one final rule: the stalemate. A stalemate is the opposite of a checkmate. In the sense that you are not checking or checkmating the King, instead you have blocked the path of your opponent’s King for making another move. If your opponent simply cannot make his or her next move, then the game can’t proceed further and ends up in a draw! Perhaps it is better to just show you!.
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Queen to f2. This is a stalemate, the white King has simply no options and is basically trapped. Yet despite being trapped, the white King is not in check(mate)!
Notice how the Queen attacks a lot of squares around the King — except the square where the King is on— leaving the white King with no options to respond!
Here is a similar example, again stale mate, so the game is a draw, despite black having the obvious advantage!
And another example, again stalemate, the black King is trapped!
One more!
What about this one? Is this a stalemate? Observe the board and the pieces and think about it!
Answer
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Alright this was quick lesson, but I hope you understand how stalemates work now. And feel free to leave any questions in the comment section.
You can review:
Part 1: https://steemit.com/chess/@kanggary/learning-chess-index-the-board-part-1
Part 2: https://steemit.com/life/@kanggary/learning-chess-chess-pieces-part-2
Part 3: https://steemit.com/blog/@kanggary/learning-chess-basic-rules-part-3
Part 4: https://steemit.com/blog/@kanggary/learning-chess-advanced-rules-part-4
Part 5: https://steemit.com/blog/@kanggary/learning-chess-checkmate-part-5
