Stalemate tricks
A lost side can still save the game by offering its last piece, so that taking it leaves no legal move.
The idea
A lost side offers its last piece, so that taking it is stalemate.
- The queen on g6 covers g8, g7 and h7, so the black king has no move.
- Re5+ checks from right next to the white king.
- If the king takes the rook, Black has no legal move: stalemate.
In a game: Before you take the last piece, ask whether the other side would still have a legal move.
How the lesson begins
Black has only a king and a rook left against White’s king and queen. With best play the tablebase says Black loses.
But look at the black king. The queen on g6 covers g8, g7 and h7, so the king on h8 has no move at all. Only the rook can move. That is the start of a stalemate trick: if the rook disappears and Black is not in check, Black has no legal move and the game is drawn.
A question
Why could this position end in stalemate?
Show the answer
The black king has no move, so if the rook goes, Black will have no legal move at all.
Right. Stalemate is when the side to move is not in check and has no legal move. The king is already boxed in, so the rook is Black’s only piece that can move.