Stalemate
Stalemate is a draw. It happens when the side to move has no legal move and is not in check.
Checkmate is a win because the king is in check and has no legal move. Stalemate is a draw because the king is not in check and there is still no legal move.
In king and queen against king, stalemate is the common mistake. The queen takes the last flight square without giving check, and the game is drawn.
On the board below, queen to b6 is stalemate. The black king on a8 is not in check, and a7, b7, and b8 are all covered.
On the board
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move. Play queen to b6 and look at the result. It is stalemate, a draw, not a win.
Common mistakes
- Calling stalemate a win. It is a draw.
- Leaving the enemy king no move when you could have given check instead.
- Promoting to a queen when the queen takes the last square and does not check. A knight or a rook is sometimes the move that still wins. The promotion page shows one.