What is a stalemate in chess?

In chess, a stalemate occurs when a player whose turn it is to move has no legal moves left and their king is not in check. This results in the game being declared a draw, as the player with the stalemate cannot make a legal move to continue the game and their king is not in immediate danger of capture.

Stalemates can occur for a variety of reasons, such as a player not paying attention to their opponent's threats or running out of legal moves due to poor positioning of their pieces. Stalemates are often the result of one player overextending their position and overlooking the potential for a draw by stalemate.

Stalemates are considered a tactical resource for players to use in certain situations, especially when they are in a losing position but can force a stalemate to salvage a draw. However, stalemates can also be frustrating for players who were on the verge of winning but missed a forced checkmate and instead allowed a stalemate to occur.