Originally posted by Lise
Why was Game 4622295 drawn?
I know that this can seem really unfair Lise. Sadly it is the rules, and always has been. We all made this mistake when learning the game.
To win a chess game you must checkmate your opponent, which means putting them in a check they cannot escape from, either because they cannot move, or because if they did move they would still be in check.
A stalemate is when, if the King moved it would walk into check BUT he is not IN check. If there are no other legal moves (like a pawn or another piece), you have left your opponent with no way to move, and this is a draw. Ironically it happens most commonly when, like in your game, one side has a big advantage. You just have to make sure next time that if you cannot deliver checkmate, your opponent has a legal move.