How does a chess game end?

A chess game ends in a win, a loss, or a draw. The most common decisive outcome is checkmate, where a king is under attack with no legal escape.

The white queen delivers checkmate while defended by the white king. The black king has no escape and the game ends immediately.

What is checkmate and why does it end the game?

Checkmate is the ultimate goal of every chess game. It happens when a king is under attack (in check) and there is no legal way to escape check. The moment checkmate occurs, the game ends instantly, and the player who delivered checkmate wins the game. The king is never actually captured in chess.

To deliver checkmate, you need to do three things at once:

• Put the enemy king in check.
• Make sure no enemy piece can capture the checking piece or block the check.
• Ensure the enemy king has no safe square to flee to.

The white queen delivers checkmate to the black king tucked into the corner. Engine-verified position, Elo 575.

What is stalemate and how is it different from checkmate?

Stalemate is a draw that occurs when the player whose turn it is has no legal move available, but their king is not in check. It looks similar to checkmate, but the crucial difference is that the king is not under attack. Because that player can't move at all, the game ends immediately as a draw.

The queen moves to show a classic stalemate: the black king has no legal moves and is not in check, so the game ends as a draw.

How can a chess game end in a draw?

A draw means neither player wins, and half a point of score is awarded to each player. There are many ways a game can end in a draw, aside from stalemate.

Insufficient material means neither player has enough material left to force checkmate. For example, if only two kings remain on the board, no checkmate is possible. The same is true for a king and a single bishop against a lone king, or a king and a single knight against a lone king. In cases like these, the game is automatically drawn.

A king and knight cannot force checkmate against a lone king. The game is an automatic draw by insufficient material.

Threefold repetition occurs when the exact same position appears on the board three times during a game.

The fifty-move rule applies when fifty consecutive moves have been made by both players without any pawn moving or any material being captured or traded.

Agreement is the simplest draw. Both players simply agree to a draw for any reason, and the game is ended. This is often because the position is equal and neither player can make progress.

What does it mean to resign?

Resignation means a player voluntarily gives up. The game ends immediately, and the other player wins. There is no shame in resigning. In fact, among experienced players, it's considered respectful.

Players usually resign when they believe the position is so bad that continuing would be pointless. Rather than play out a hopeless position, they resign to save both sides' time and energy.

Can a game end by running out of time?

Yes. Most official and online chess games use a clock, and if your time runs out, you generally lose. But there's an important exception. If your opponent has insufficient material to deliver checkmate when your time expires, the game is drawn instead of a loss. For example, if you run out of time but your opponent only has a king left, the game is a draw because there was no possible way for them to checkmate you.

If white's clock runs out, it's a loss for white. If black's clock runs out, it's a draw because white has insufficient material to mate.

See it in action

Example 1: Queen and king deliver checkmate

Find the checkmate.

Solution: The white queen moves two squares up the board to deliver checkmate. The black king has no legal moves.

Example 2: Back-rank checkmate

Checkmate in one move.

Solution: The white rook swings to the back rank, delivering checkmate. The black king is hemmed in by its own pawns and has no escape.

Frequently asked questions

Can you win a chess game without delivering checkmate?

Yes. Your opponent can resign at any time, which gives you an immediate win. In timed games, you can also win if your opponent runs out of time on the clock (as long as you have enough material that checkmate would be theoretically possible).

Is stalemate a win for the player who causes it?

No. Stalemate is always a draw. Even if you have far more material on the board, accidentally stalemating your opponent means the game is a draw. This catches many beginners off guard.

What happens if both players only have kings left?

This situation is an automatic draw due to insufficient mating material. Two lone kings can never checkmate each other, so the game is considered a draw.

Can you put yourself in checkmate?

No. You are never allowed to make a move that places your own king in check or checkmate. If the only moves available to you would put your king in check, and your king is not currently in check, then that's stalemate and the game is a draw.

What's the fastest possible checkmate?

The fastest possible checkmate takes just two moves. It's sometimes called Fool's Mate.

Reviewed by Katherine Wise, USCF Rating 1927