How games are drawn
Friday, 14. August 2009
Chess games usually produce a winner and a loser. In certain games, however,no player is able to checkmate an opponent’s King. In such a game therefore, no player emerges the winner and the game is said to have ended in a draw. The scenarios outlined below depict how a draw can result: perpetual check, stalemate, or when there isn’t enough material to force checkmate.
Perpetual check
Perpetual check is when a player is able to checkmate an enemy’s King continuously without being able to checkmate it. The Queen I the one which most frequently gives a check, but the Bishop, Rook, and Knight are also able to do so.
Stalemate
A player can be in a difficult situation in that although it may be his turn to move and also his King is not in check, he may have no legal moves. Any move that he wants to make would be illegal and would therefore put his King in check. This situation is termed as a stalemate. The player is therefore said to be stalemated. The difference between stalemate and checkmate is that in checkmate the King is not in check whereas in checkmate, it is in check and cannot get out of it. A stalemate results in a draw while a checkmate results in the loss for the player whose King has been checkmated.
A stalemate is said to result if and only if the player is unable to make any legal moves. If the King is unable to move but the other pieces can make a move then he has to play the other pieces even if this would ut his pieces in an extremely dangerous position.
To an amateur the difference between the checkmate and stalemate might not be that big. This is because in both instances the King is incapacitated to move.However,in checkmate the King is in check and that is very vital. A checkmate will win the game but a stalemate will result in a draw.
Stalemate is the last chance for a losing player to salvage himself. So if you have more men than your opponent you shouldn’t assume that you have won the game outrightly.Your opponent might force a stalemate and force the game to end in a draw. If you are a losing player, you should explore the option of stalemate as a draw is definitely better than a loss.Usually, a stalemate is the result of a mistake by the player who has the majority players but sometimes it is the logical end of a game in which both players have equal strength.
Not enough material
When both players don’t have enough material to checkmate, the game ultimately will result in a draw. Therefore:
a) If each King only has a King left, neither can be able to checkmate the opponent.
b) A King and a Knight alone are not able to checkmate a lone King.
c) A King and a Bishop are not able to checkmate a lone King.
d) If both players have only a King and a Bishop, and the Bishops are of the same color, then no side is able to checkmate the other.
