Stalemate
A stalemate is an end position in a game of chess in which a player whose turn it is cannot make a valid move and his king is not in check . A stalemate is considered a draw , i.e. a draw . Hence, it can serve as a lifeline for a defending player. Sometimes stalemate can be forced with a combination , sometimes the carelessness of the attacking player is exploited. In some endgames , possible stalemate is a resource for holding a draw.
Origin and use of the term
In chess
“Patt” is a loan word from the French pat ( meaning as described in this article), which itself was probably borrowed from the Latin pactum ( Eng. “Agreement”, “agreement”) . The original translation of “stalemate” into the chess language , however, goes back to Italy. The Italian patta generally stands for a tie or a draw ; the stalemate, especially in chess, on the other hand, is called stallo in Italian (from which also English stalemate ).
As a metaphor
Also in a figurative sense , e.g. B. in politics , there is often talk of a stalemate or a stalemate when there is an equilibrium (of whatever kind) between two parties (opposing parties) and neither of the two can prevail. However, this does not correspond to the stalemate situation in chess as discussed in this article.
The two meanings of the word “stalemate” are therefore analog, not univocal .
History of the stalemate rule
The evaluation of the stalemate as a draw has been controversial for a long time in chess history . In the Arab chess game , the stalemate was reckoned as a win for the stronger party.
In European chess, especially in Italy and France, the classification as a draw prevailed. However, there has been some uncertainty until recently. In the 17th and 18th centuries in England, in contrast to other countries, the stalemate of the opponent was seen as a loss of the game for the stronger party. This unusual special rule lasted until around 1810, when the leading London master Jacob Henry Sarratt prevailed in an effort to standardize the international rule.
Stalemates
Probably the most famous stalemate is a beginner's mistake when mating with queen and king against the single king (see above the fourth example on the bottom right). Here and with other elementary mate leads , the stronger side must always ensure that the "naked" enemy king, who is not in check, has a free space.
The stalemate is a tactical motif in many combinations and in chess composition . A position in which both sides stand flat is called a double flat in chess composition .
The first diagram shows four examples of possible stalemates. It is Black's turn, the black king's square is not threatened, but all squares to which he could move is.
Example of a stalemate
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White is or becomes patted
If it is White's turn in this position, it is patted. Because the white king could not occupy one of the key squares for his edge pawn g7 or g8, the passed pawn is not converted . This position also shows a common technique in pawn endings .
If it is Black's turn, he can still control both key squares with the waiting move Kf7 – f8 and force a stalemate.
Settlement to stalemate
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White to move
Materially , white is on loss. Black would be the train, would immediately Db4-b2 or Db4-e1 matt . On the other hand , if White could just take his rook off the board, he would be stumped. So White doesn't need to lose this game. He moves Rh7xb7 + with a double attack on the king and queen. Black will therefore take the rook. Regardless of whether that happens to the king or queen, White is patted afterwards.
If black moves the king and does not take the rook, then the rook captures the queen and White wins.
This is also an important technique in endgames : In a bad position one should look for a saving settlement , for example a stalemate.
The shortest stalemates
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White to move. Standalone with all stones.
Wheeler already showed in 1887 that a stalemate is possible with all pieces on the chessboard : 1. a2 – a4 c7 – c5 2. d2 – d4 d7 – d6 3. Qd1 – d2 e7 – e5 4. Qd2 – f4 e5 –E4 5. h2 – h3 Bf8 – e7 6. Qf4 – h2 Be7 – h4 7. Re1 – a3 Bc8 – e6 8. Re3 – g3 Be6 – b3 9. Nb1 – d2 Qd8 – a5 10. d4 – d5 e4 – e3 11. c2-c4 f7-f5 12. f2-f3 f5-f4 patt
Samuel Loyd showed the shortest possible stalemate: 1. e2 – e3 a7 – a5 2. Qd1 – h5 Ra8 – a6 3. Qh5xa5 h7 – h5 4. Qa5xc7 Ra6 – h6 5. h2 – h4 f7 – f6 6. Qc7xd7 + Ke8 – f7 7 Qd7xb7 Qd8-d3 8. Qb7xb8 Qd3-h7 9. Qb8xc8 Kf7-g6 10. Qc8-e6 patt
Stalemate examples in chess studies
The issue of stalemate has been addressed in a large number of studies . See the following articles for more examples:
- Ercole del Rio
- Hermann von Gottschall
- Genrich Gasparjan with mutual stalemate
- Hermanis Matisons
- Ossip Bernstein and Gia Nadareishvili playing on self-patters
- Ernest Pogosjanz
- Saavedra study
- Andrei Vladimirovich Selivanov
Xiangqi
In the Chinese chess variant Xiangqi , the stalemate leads to the victory of the stalemate player.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Otto Borik , Joachim Petzold : Meyers Schachlexikon. Meyers Lexikonverlag, Mannheim 1993, pp. 200 f., ISBN 3-411-08811-7 .
- ^ Klaus Lindörfer : Large chess dictionary. History, theory and game practice from A to Z. New edition, Orbis Verlag, Munich 1991, p. 188, ISBN 3-572-02734-9 .
- ↑ E.g .: the so-called nuclear stalemate between the USA and the USSR during the Cold War.