Stalemate trick
A stalemate trick is a resource for the side that is losing: it forces the stronger side into a position where the weaker side has no legal move and is not in check, so the game is drawn.
Also called: stalemate swindle
Stalemate means the player to move is not in check but has no legal move, and the game is a draw at once. That makes it a lifeline for the side that is behind. If you are down a queen or a rook, look for a way to leave your king with no safe squares and your other pieces unable to move, so that the opponent's next capture ends the game as a draw.
The usual method is a sacrifice that has to be taken. A rook gives check, the only legal reply is to capture it, and after the capture you have nothing left to move. Other versions use a king boxed into a corner, blocked pawns, or a pinned piece that has no legal move.
To use it, count the legal moves your side would have after each possible reply. If that number can reach zero, you have a stalemate chance. To avoid falling for one, check how many moves your opponent has left before every capture or quiet move, and make sure at least one legal move remains unless your move is checkmate. A different capture, or a move that gives the king a free square, is often enough.
In the diagram White has only a rook against a queen. White to move plays Rb1+. Black's only legal reply is Kxb1, and then the white king on a3 has no legal move: a2, a4, b2, b3 and b4 are all covered by the black king and queen. It is stalemate, so the game is drawn.
Compare it with Underpromotion. Underpromotion is promoting a pawn to a rook, bishop or knight instead of a queen, chosen because the lesser piece wins or draws more in the position at hand.
To see how often "Stalemate trick" or a pattern like it decides your own games, book a first lesson: George Li reviews your games and writes a study plan around what he finds.
Related terms
Stalemate is a draw that occurs when the side on move has no legal move at all while its king is not attacked, so the game ends on the spot with half a point to each player.
A perpetual check is a run of checks that the defending king cannot sidestep, so the same positions recur and the game is drawn by repetition, rescuing the side that was losing.
A fortress is a position the weaker side can hold indefinitely: its king, pieces and pawns cover every entry route, so the side with extra material has nothing to aim at and the game ends in a draw.
Checkmate, or mate, ends a chess game at once: the king of the side to move is under attack, and none of that side's legal moves can remove the attack, so the player who delivered it wins.
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
How much does chess coaching cost?
Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each.
A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
Want to spot this in your own games?
A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.