How do you come to a stalemate in chess?

Answer 1

The process of both players moving the same piece back and forth can be called either Repitition of Position or Prepetual Check, depending on the situation. Both result in a draw.

A stalemate, specifically, is a situation in which one player's King is NOT in check, but because of the particular setup of the pieces, that player has no legal move available. In other words, any move the player made would place his King in check.

This can occur with the King anywhere on the board...the King does not have to be in a corner. And it does not matter now many pieces are on the board at the time... as long as:

1) The player who's turn it is to move is NOT in check; and
2) That player has no legal moves (i.e. any move made would place the King in check)

the game ends as a stalemate. The result is a draw. Neither player wins, regardless of how much material either player has on the board at the time.

The simplest example would be:

1) Black King on a1
2) White Queen on c2 (i.e. a "Knight's" move away from the black King
3) White King pretty much anywhere else on the board
4) It is Black's move

Black has no move which would not put his King in check (because the Queen attacks every square to which the Black King can move, but does not have the Black King in check at this point).

This game would be drawn. (it would not be drawn if it were White's move in this situation)

There's no such thing as a '20 move rule'. There is such a thing as a 50 move rule, but that's not the subject of this thread.

Answer 2

Stalemate occurs when a player has no legal move but is not in check. This last requirement makes all the difference. If no legal moves exist and you are in check, you have been checkmated and lost the game.
By the rules of modern chess a stalemate it is a DRAW.

There are some misconceptions and errors in some of the answers, like the spurious "20 move rule" mentioned by someone. I would only refer to the FIDE (International Chess Federation, initials in french) webpage and take a look at the official rules and forum therein.

Answer 3

There's the definitive way in which one player has no legal moves possible. This would mean that the king cannot move into the other's attack zone (put into check) and the other pieces are blocked from moving at all.

Then there's the less definitive way where there is a repeated cycle of moves that do not advance the game, such as moving a piece back and forth on both players sides. Different clubs will have varying rules on that as that isn't strictly in the rules for the game itself. I would suspect that FIDE has a precise definition.

Answer 4

If a player cannot move any piece during his turn without putting his king in check, it is a stalemate.

Answer 5

When neither player can make a move without putting themselves in check.
If one player has only their king left the other person has 20 moves to put them in checkmate.

Answer 6

you both get you kings trapped in the corner of the board

Answer 7

when someone cannot move but is not in check.