Chess is a great game of strategy that can end in several ways. The two most common are checkmate and stalemate. In only one way can the game end with a winner.
Definitions
Checkmate is achieved when one player corners the other player’s king. For checkmate to occur neither the king nor any other piece can be moved without also creating a check. The person who achieves checkmate wins the game.
Stalemate occurs when one player is not in check but has no legal move to make with any piece. Stalemate ends in a draw, which means a tie in which there is no winner.
Comparison Chart
| Checkmate | Stalemate |
| Has a clear winner | Results in a draw or tie |
| Requires one player to be in check | Requires no player to be in check |
| Requires one player to be unable to make a legal move | Requires one player to be unable to make a legal move |
Checkmate vs Stalemate
What is the difference between checkmate and stalemate in chess? Let’s compare them by how they end the game and their end result.
- Checkmate ends the game with a clear winner, while stalemate ends in a draw or tie.
- Checkmate requires one player to be in check and unable to move out of it, while stalemate requires that the play not be in check.
- Both checkmate and stalemate require one player to be unable to make any legal move.
Video
Below is a good video that explains differences between check, checkmate, and stalemate in detail.