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Noob with question on how stalemates work

Hi sorry for the noob question,

I was playing rapid format and I eventually got really far ahead but instead of a win a stalemate was triggered somehow. Did my opponent trigger it by making 3 repetitive moves with the king? How do I close the game out without allowing stalemate to happen? Thanks

Hi sorry for the noob question, I was playing rapid format and I eventually got really far ahead but instead of a win a stalemate was triggered somehow. Did my opponent trigger it by making 3 repetitive moves with the king? How do I close the game out without allowing stalemate to happen? Thanks

YOu need to post the final position. Your question is not answerable otherwise, but it's not caused by 3-fold repetition; it's because one player has no legal move on their turn.

YOu need to post the final position. Your question is not answerable otherwise, but it's not caused by 3-fold repetition; it's because one player has no legal move on their turn.

@JackalStrategy stalemate is when you don't have any legal move to make ...three fold repetition is a draw when both players repeat the same move 3 times...

Like in this game black had no move to play (black can't play any move since the Queens and rook are covering all surrounding squares)so its stalemate

https://lichess.org/n2TxMezW

@JackalStrategy

@JackalStrategy stalemate is when you don't have any legal move to make ...three fold repetition is a draw when both players repeat the same move 3 times... Like in this game black had no move to play (black can't play any move since the Queens and rook are covering all surrounding squares)so its stalemate https://lichess.org/n2TxMezW @JackalStrategy

Ah, I'm not sure how to add a screenshot

Ah, I'm not sure how to add a screenshot

If it's a three move repetition it's technically a draw, not a stalemate. A stalemate is where your opponent has no valid moves on their turn, which also results in 1/2 points for each player. Either way, when some people are losing, they play on because in faster time controls, it can be easy to leave your opponent with no valid moves on their turn, thus causing a stalemate and half points instead of none.

To avoid a stalemate you should:

  1. Play slowly (if you can)
  2. Always check your opponent has a valid move before you do.
  3. Play very safely. (For example, if you are many pieces up, only use a few of them to try to checkmate. Watch out for queens or rooks that block files. Move pieces such as queens or rooks only a few squares away to avoid accidental stalemate. Avoid clumping pieces together. Make sure you remove any pieces to the opposite side of the board that might cause stalemate).

There is no concrete way to avoid stalemate, but if you play more carefully and keep it in mind, you should be able to avoid stalemate.

Similarly, with 3 move repetition, play very carefully. In online chess, you can go back and check if you and your opponent have been in that position before.

If it's a three move repetition it's technically a draw, not a stalemate. A stalemate is where your opponent has no valid moves on their turn, which also results in 1/2 points for each player. Either way, when some people are losing, they play on because in faster time controls, it can be easy to leave your opponent with no valid moves on their turn, thus causing a stalemate and half points instead of none. To avoid a stalemate you should: 1. Play slowly (if you can) 2. Always check your opponent has a valid move before you do. 3. Play very safely. (For example, if you are many pieces up, only use a few of them to try to checkmate. Watch out for queens or rooks that block files. Move pieces such as queens or rooks only a few squares away to avoid accidental stalemate. Avoid clumping pieces together. Make sure you remove any pieces to the opposite side of the board that might cause stalemate). There is no concrete way to avoid stalemate, but if you play more carefully and keep it in mind, you should be able to avoid stalemate. Similarly, with 3 move repetition, play very carefully. In online chess, you can go back and check if you and your opponent have been in that position before.

https://imgur.com/a/kwRkoed

Ah, ok here is the screenshot. As a noob I feel very confused and kind of sad about getting a draw from a position like this lol. How do I avoid this I guess in this particular situation in the future?

https://imgur.com/a/kwRkoed

https://imgur.com/a/kwRkoed Ah, ok here is the screenshot. As a noob I feel very confused and kind of sad about getting a draw from a position like this lol. How do I avoid this I guess in this particular situation in the future? https://imgur.com/a/kwRkoed

Got it, thanks for the help. Avoiding stalemates seems very tricky.

Got it, thanks for the help. Avoiding stalemates seems very tricky.

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