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Results for stalemate
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To bring into a stalemate.
[Obsolete stale (from Middle English, probably from Anglo-Norman estale, fixed position, from Old French estal; see stale1) + MATE2.]
noun
I have wanted to force her into a stalemate for a long time.
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move has no legal moves but is not in check. Stalemate ends the game, with the result a draw. Stalemate is often sought after during the endgame by a player with vastly outnumbered pieces to avoid an outright loss.
In certain chess variants, such as suicide chess, stalemate is not necessarily a draw. Depending on the variant, stalemate can be a win for either the player with fewer pieces (a draw results if the players have the same number of pieces) or for the stalemated player.
Stalemate has become a widely used metaphor for other situations where there is a conflict or contest between two parties, such as war or political negotiations, and neither side is able to achieve victory, resulting in what is also called a dead heat, standoff, or deadlock. Unlike in chess, this usage allows for the situation to be a temporary one and thus ultimately resolved, even if it seems currently intractable.
With Black to move, the black king is stalemated in each of the four positions in the diagram at the right. Stalemate is an important factor in the endgame—the endgame set-up in the top-right of this diagram, for example, quite frequently is relevant in play, and the position in the bottom-left is an example of a pawn drawing against a queen. Stalemates of this sort can often save a player from losing an apparently hopeless position.
In the bottom left position, even if it were White's move, there is no way to avoid this stalemate without allowing Black's pawn to promote. (White may be able to win the resulting queen versus queen ending, however, if the white king is close enough).
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| Gelfand-Kramnik, Candidates match, 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stalemate can also occur with more pieces on the board. The position at left occurred in Gelfand-Kramnik, FIDE Candidates match, game 6, Sanghi Nagar
1994. Kramnik (Black), down two pawns and on the defensive, would be very happy with a draw. Gelfand (White) has just played
67. Re7? (from e4), a strong-looking move that threatens 68. Qxf6, winning a third pawn, or 68.Rc7, further constricting
Black. Black responded 67... Qc1! If White takes Black's undefended rook with 68.
Qxd8, Black draws with 68... Qh1+ 69. Kg3 Qh2+!, forcing 70. Kxh2 stalemate. If White avoids the stalemate with 68. Rxg7+ Kxg7
69. Qxd8, Black draws by
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| Bernstein-Smyslov, 1946, Black to move | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sometimes a surprise stalemate saves a game. In the game between Ossip Bernstein and Vasily Smyslov, Black should win by sacrificing the f-pawn and using the king to support the b-pawn. However, Smyslov thought it was good to advance the b-pawn, because of the skewer of the rook if it captures the pawn once it is on b2. Play went:
Now if 2... Rh2+ 3. Kf3! Rxb2 is stalemate. Smyslov moved 2... Kg4 and the game was drawn after 3. Kf1 (see rook and pawn versus rook endgame) (Minev 2004:21).
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| Matulović-Minev, 1956. White to move. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the Bernstein-Smyslov game, the possibility of stalemate arose because of a blunder. It can arise without a blunder, as in the game Milan Matulović-Nikolay Minev (at right). Play continued:
and now 4. Rxa6 would be stalemate. White played 4. Rc5+ instead, and the game was drawn several moves later (Minev 2004:22).
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| Williams-Harrwitz, 1846, position after 72.Ka1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In Williams-Harrwitz
(diagram at left), Black was up a knight and a pawn in an endgame. This would normally be a decisive material advantage, but
Black could find no way to make progress because of various stalemate resources available to White. The game continued 72...Ra8
73.Rc1 (avoiding the threatened 73...Nc2+) Ke3 74.Rc4 Ra4 75.Rc1 Kd2 76.Rc4 Kd3 (76...Nc2+ 77.Rxc2+! Kxc2 is stalemate) 77.Rc3+!
Kd4 (77...Kxc3 is stalemate) 78.Rc1 Ra3 79.Rd1+ Kc5 (79...Rd3 80.Rxd3+! leaves Black with insufficient material to win after
80...Nxd3 81.Kxa2, or a standard fortress in a corner draw after 80...Kxd3) 80.Rc1+ Kb5
81.Rc7 Nd5 82.Rc2 Nc3 83.Rb2+ Kc4 84.Rb3! (diagram at right). Now the players agreed to a
draw, since 84...Kxb3 or 84...Rxb3 is stalemate, as is 84...Ra8 85.Rxc3+! Kxc3.
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| Williams-Harrwitz, position after 84.Rb3! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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