What is stalemate?

Stalemate is a situation in chess and some other games where a player is not in check but has no legal move available and therefore cannot make any move on the board. It is equivalent to a draw or tie in the game. Stalemate can occur when a player has no pieces left on the board or when all of their remaining pieces are blocked in such a way that they cannot make a legal move. It is important to avoid stalemate in chess as it can prevent a player from winning the game even if they have a significant advantage. In some cases, players may deliberately aim for a stalemate as a defensive strategy to avoid losing the game.