Stalemate is another type of Draw in the game of Chess. This means that if a Stalemate happens while playing a game, neither side wins or loses and the game ends in a Draw.
A Stalemate occurs in a game when one of the players isn’t in Check, but also cannot make any legal move. Meaning, the square that his King is standing on is not being threatened by any of the other pieces, but he also cannot move to any other square since that will put him in Check, and none of his other pieces can make a legal move to save the King.
The first thing to understand about Stalemates is that they look a lot like Checkmates...but with one major difference: The King is not in Check! Just like with Checkmate, in a Stalemate the King cannot move—he has no Safe Squares. In fact, a Stalemate happens when there are no legal moves, just like Checkmate. The only difference is that since the King isn’t threatened, the attacker can’t claim a win and the game is declared a Draw!
Some players might use the rule of Stalemate in order to end the game in a Draw instead of losing if they have insufficient pieces to win and are in an inferior position to the other player. For example, a player that is luck of pieces, he might try to create a Stalemate in order to not lose the game, but end it with a Draw.
Below are downloadable PDF Worksheets so that you can start practicing your CheckMate.
In our ChessMatec Chess For Kids App you will be able to learn all the Chess Rules mentioned above!
Our ChessMatec App is built with all the lessons that will teach children how to play Chess from the very basics and up to very advanced levels – all created in a gamified, animated and colorful fashion that makes it easier for the kids to learn.
At ChessMatec, we took the game of Chess and divided it into small and colorful lessons so that the Child has fun learning how to play in their own pace.