Questions tagged [stalemate]
A chess game is said to end in stalemate when the player to move has no legal move and his king is not in check.
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Proving the fastest way for stalemate
I know that Sam Loydfound the 9.5 move stalemate, but how can we prove that his way of reaching stalemate is the fastest?
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USCF rule for wrongly agreeing to stalemate? [duplicate]
In a USCF tournament game, after I moved and hit my clock, my opponent said "Is that stalemate?", reaching out his hand to shake on the result. I said "I think so," and shook his ...
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Would a stalemate declared a win be theoretically equivalent to this larger board chess variant?
Most drawn endgames where one side is stronger than the other (e.g. has an extra pawn) are drawn because the weaker king can force being stalemated on the rim if the stronger side avoids a repetition.
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In the endgame, black had only two blocked pawns. It is his turn. Is it stalemate or must he move his king?
In the endgame, Black had only two blocked pawns. It is his turn. Is it stalemate or must he move his king?
My opponent claimed that the king cannot move if all other remaining pieces are blocked.
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Fastest stalemate in Duck Chess
Seeing the meteoric rise in popularity of Duck Chess (full rules), I'd like to ask how to stalemate the fastest (from the starting position) in this variant, because the stalemated player wins here.
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Is there a position where the weaker side can force stalemating the stronger side?
Usually, the (materially) stronger side stalemates the materially weaker side. Is there a position where the weaker side can forcibly stalemate the stronger side?
The only position I know where this ...
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How can I avoid stalemate in this position?
I am very much a beginner to chess and have been clueless in my past matches. I feel like I'm either making a move just to protect any of my pieces at that moment or make a move to simply knock my ...
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Puzzle: Forced game end in at most two halfmoves
Compose a position where
It's White to move
White can deliver checkmate or stalemate in 1 move
Or if they make a different move, then Black can deliver checkmate or stalemate in one 1 move
I needed ...
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Duplex forced selfstalemate
Ludwig Zagler, Chess Ultimates 12/1974
[FEN "3nBb2/3PRP2/2ppPPpp/2nk2pb/2p2QN1/1r1rBKP1/7q/8 w - - 0 0"]
self=1, 7 solutions
This is the record (7 variants) for forced single side ...
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A special "dead" position
Construct a position which forcibly leads to White or Black being stalemated (and both events are actually possible), meaning that the position is already dead. Further (or it would be too easy) all ...
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What will happen if you have a position where no one can lose?
What will happen if you have a position where no one can lose?
[fen "5k2/8/1p1p1p2/pBpP1Pp1/P1PpK1P1/1P1Pb3/8/8 b - - 0 1"]
Here is my game, I know it is live960 but I was wondering the ...
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Two seriesmover stalemate constructions
Easy one: Starting position, but Black never moves. White makes n moves (no checking!) until Black is stalemated. Minimize n. Hint: You don't need to capture all Black pieces, pawns can also be ...
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What constitutes a draw?
I know what makes a game a stalemate, and I know that stalemate is 1/2 point to everyone, and I assume draw is the same, but can there be a draw without a stalemate?
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Can a stalemate be forced even if it is the opponent's turn to move first?
Here are examples in which the side that desires a stalemate can force a stalemate, provided it is their turn to move.
Are there positions where the side which desires a stalemate does not presently ...
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Can White avoid a loss in this endgame study by Lazar?
This is the position with White to move. This was created by Lazar in 1935 according to Susan Polgar in a Chess Daily News article from 5/27/2008.
[FEN "8/3P4/3b4/8/8/1p2k2p/1Pp4P/2K5 w - - 0 1&...
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Would there be more decisive games if we began to see stalemates as checkmates? And hence more "interesting" chess? [closed]
I think it is up for debate as to whether a stalemate should be a win or a draw. I agree stalemates make beginner chess more interesting but we rarely see games at international level end in stalemate....
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What is the shortest 1:16 mutual stalemate with the White king at home?
In this ancient r/chess thread, several users explored the shortest possible 1:16 mutual stalemate. StoofBuzze provided a record in 42.5 moves. However, what is the shortest such game in which the ...
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Can the king step into stalemate?
Is it possible that the king can move to a square, and the opponent can move, but no matter where it is a stalemate? If it is impossible, how do you prove that?
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Is it possible to resign in stalemate?
Say that two players, likely lower rated, are playing a rated tournament over-the-board game. Player A has a winning position, and then blunders a move and stalemates. Player B, misunderstanding the ...
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Why was this stalemate?
I'm new to chess and I don't have much knowledge. But I was playing a game as Black, and I was up by a lot of material and played Nxc4 to capture White's last bishop. The game ended in a stalemate, ...
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Can someone tell me if this is a checkmate or stalemate?
[FEN "5rk/Q1p2p1p/4p1p/2Pq2b/3P2n/4P1Pb/PP1B1P1P/R2R2K w - - 0 1"]
Apparently, the system says that it's checkmate, but I don't get it. Can someone please explain it?
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What is the fastest way to reach a position in which one side is forced to choose between checkmate and stalemate?
I had an interesting idea recently. While there are many proof games ending in checkmate or stalemate, why not both, I thought. So, thus I wondered, what is the fastest way to reach a position in ...
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Can you move from one side being checked to other side in stalemate?
I am not a chess player but I have a homework where I have to code a chess program. I would like to know if it is possible for a player's piece to be in check, the player to move out of check, and in ...
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Shortest stalemate in serious tournament game
I am looking for the shortest stalemate that has occurred in a serious chess game (there were no agreements between the players). So far, I have found only compositions, but is there a real game where ...
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Games won by the stalemated player?
Here is a quote from Davidson's "A short history of chess" (Link), chapter 8, which I used in an answer to an earlier question.
[...] In Italy, however, from the very beginning, players ...
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How many queens can be on the board without neither forced mate nor forced stalemate (53?)?
I was wondering how many queens can be put on boards without the position being a forced checkmate or a forced stalemate. The best I came up with is 53 this position.
[FEN "QQQQQRK1/QQQQQPr1/...
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What is the fastest possible stalemate by castling?
It is known what the fastest stalemate is. But what but is the fastest possible stalemate in which castling must be the last move?
33 plies is my best result so far.
[FEN ""]
1. e4 h5 2. ...
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Stalemate v/s Checkmate
I am unable to understand why Photo 1 a stalemate and Photo 2 a checkmate.
PHOTO 1
PHOTO 2
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Why is this position stalemate? I'm new to chess
Why is this position stalemate? I'm new to chess and I played white.
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What rearrangent of the starting position's pieces, in any manner, has the fastest stalemate?
It is well known that the fastest stalemate is in 19 ply. But what is the fastest possible if all pieces, not pawns, may be shuffled at will on their first ranks? This will be difficult since there is ...
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What is the fastest way to reach stalemate?
It is known that the minimum number of moves required for checkmate is 2 moves (4 half moves) resulting in a victory for Black. However, what is the minimum number of moves required for stalemate? ...
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Stalemate situation with all pieces on the board
Suppose all the pieces are on the board. Does there exist a position such that
A) one of the players can't make any move (a stalemate)?
B) neither player can make any move (a double stalemate)?
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What is the record for the most stalemates in one?
Is there a known record for the most possible stalemates in one in a legal position, for with and without promoted pieces? I did some constructing myself for a start.
For without promoted pieces, I ...
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Term for checking piece whose opponent daren't capture it
What if any, is the term for a piece whose owner gets a draw by keeping up a relentless series of checks with it -- a paradox being that even if this player puts it en prise, the opponent daren't ...
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Endgame problem: How to avoid stalemate and win?
I'm stuck on this problem a friend shared with me recently, with barely any pieces left and apparently white is able to force a win but I've been hitting a wall with everything I've tried so far, as ...
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An Interesting Idea: Pinned Pieces Stalemate
I had an idea for a type of stalemate: One side is stalemated with 8 pins in a legal position with as many pieces as possible, with all of the stalemating side’s units being “necessary.”
”Necessary” ...
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When exactly does a checkmate or stalemate take effect?
I'm not enthusiastic about chess in particular, so if I use terminology incorrectly please correct me. I use "phase 1 & phase 2" for each player's move, and "turn n" for each pair of phases.
I'm ...
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Examples of forced stalemate
The usual case one often sees specially in blitz play is when one side (usually the winning) mis-plays and then stalemate occurs with the losing side dodging a loss. But are there positions where ...
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What is the quickest way to reach a mutual, symmetrical stalemate?
What is the fastest known game that ends that in a mutual stalemate position that is symmetrical?
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The computer said a game was drawn but I think it is won for me [duplicate]
It's white's move and the king can't move.
Why was this game drawn? I should have won it I think.
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A confusing situation-is this stalemate? [closed]
Today I played a game, and it was my turn in the endgame.
I had only one pawn, which is blocked, and my king left. But my king could move only to a single square legally, as it would otherwise be in ...
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Tablebases for variant where stalemate is a win?
Since time immemorial, some people have suggested that stalemate be declared a loss for the player who is unable to move. This proposal is sometimes called "abolishing the stalemate rule" although I ...
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super stalemate [duplicate]
Your challenge.
Find a position such that one side cannot make any legal or illegal moves. I.E. Make it such that that even if you were allowed to move your king into check there would still be no ...
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Wrongly accepted stalemate but game is a clear win?
What will happen when we wrongly accepted stalemate and thereafter 02-03 seconds we noticed it was not a stalemate but a clear win?
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Is this a stalemate?
The gamepigeon app is declaring I lost (I am black). This simply does not make sense since it is white's turn and they are in check. The game abruptly ends.
Is this erroneous logic? How can I lose ...
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How different would chess be if a stalemate was a win? [duplicate]
Historically stalemate has been handled in different ways. I wonder how different chess would be if it was a win for the stalemating player.
Has enough thought been put into this so that it's ...
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What is the order of actions in chess under FIDE rules?
Reading some recent posts about the 50 move rule made me realize that I've never seen an explicit order of actions for chess. By way of comparison, the order of actions in Monopoly is given here:
(1) ...
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How is this stalemate?
My friend played this game as white and wants to know how this is a stalemate. I do not know much about chess and both of us would like to know more about this rule.
k7/2Q5/8/P2P4/1R6/8/2P3PP/6K1 w -...
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Mutual Stalemate
You are required to find position such that:
1) Any move made by White or Black leads to stalemate for both sides immediately.
2) The position can be reached from the starting position of a chess ...
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What's the history behind stalemate not being a win? [duplicate]
If your opponent eliminates all your options to move, you don't lose in chess, but is regarded an equal to your opponent. Isn't this peculiar? In most games and in real life hunt and war it is a ...
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