I am an amateur. I have heard of "rules" whereby a stalemate is decided if the king (being the sole piece remaining), cannot be pinned in "x" amount of moves. Can someone please clarify. I am aware and subscribe to the 50 move stalemate rule that states if a pawn does not move and there are no pieces taken by turn 50 a stalemate is declared. I have also heard of a promotion of a free piece should your king make the journey to the other side of the board. Sounds hokey. Thanks for any help!!
Originally posted by DiGrizThe official rule is as follows: When 50 consecutive full moves (a full move is one move from each side) have passed without a pawn move or piece capture, either side may claim a draw. It says nothing about when one side has a lone king, although naturally the side with the lone king won't be making any pawn moves. As for getting a free piece when your king reaches the other side of the board? No.
I am an amateur. I have heard of "rules" whereby a stalemate is decided if the king (being the sole piece remaining), cannot be pinned in "x" amount of moves. Can someone please clarify. I am aware and subscribe to the 50 move stalemate rule that states if a pawn does not move and there are no pieces taken by turn 50 a stalemate is declared. I have also heard ...[text shortened]... ur king make the journey to the other side of the board. Sounds hokey. Thanks for any help!!
Originally posted by Natural ScienceThe key thing here is you have to claim the draw after the 50 moves have passed. No one is going to point it out to you (certainly not on RHP or in an OTB tourney). Let's say after 51 consecutive moves with no pawn move or piece capture, no one claims a draw and a piece capture is made. The move counter goes back to zero, and you've lost your chance to claim a draw.
The official rule is as follows: When 50 consecutive full moves (a full move is one move from each side) have passed without a pawn move or piece capture, either side may claim a draw. It says nothing about when one side has a lone king, although naturally the side with the lone king won't be making any pawn moves. As for getting a free piece when your king reaches the other side of the board? No.
Stalemate - there is the 50 move rule
and the other rule is if one side cannot make any legal moves then it is stalemate. So for example if all your pawns are locked and your king can't move anywhere then it is stalemate.
Note: in checkers if you can't move you lose. I learnt that the hard way. I though they had that same rule that if you can't move it's a draw.
Stalemate is a special kind of draw. The 50-move rule is another kind of draw, but not stalemate.
From the FIDE Handbook:
Article 9: The drawn game
9.1
1.
A player wishing to offer a draw shall do so after having made a move on the chessboard and before stopping his clock and starting the opponent`s clock. An offer at any other time during play is still valid, but Article 12.6 must be considered. No conditions can be attached to the offer. In both cases the offer cannot be withdrawn and remains valid until the opponent accepts it, rejects it orally, rejects it by touching a piece with the intention of moving or capturing it, or the game is concluded in some other way.
2.
The offer of a draw shall be noted by each player on his scoresheet with a symbol (See Appendix E13).
3.
A claim of a draw under 9.2, 9.3 or 10.2 shall be considered to be an offer of a draw.
9.2
The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by the player having the move, when the same position, for at least the third time (not necessarily by a repetition of moves)
1.
is about to appear, if he first writes his move on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move, or
2.
has just appeared, and the player claiming the draw has the move.
Positions as in (a) and (b) are considered the same, if the same player has the move, pieces of the same kind and colour occupy the same squares, and the possible moves of all the pieces of both players are the same.
Positions are not the same if a pawn that could have been captured en passant can no longer in this manner be captured or if the right to castle has been changed temporarily or permanently.
9.3
The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by the player having the move, if
1.
he writes his move on his scoresheet, and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move which shall result in the last 50 moves having been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and without any capture, or
2.
the last 50 consecutive moves have been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and without any capture.
9.4
If the player makes a move without having claimed the draw he loses the right to claim, as in Article 9.2 or 9.3, on that move.
9.5
If a player claims a draw as in Article 9.2 or 9.3, he shall immediately stop both clocks. He is not allowed to withdraw his claim.
1.
If the claim is found to be correct the game is immediately drawn.
2.
If the claim is found to be incorrect, the arbiter shall add three minutes to the opponent`s remaining time. Additionally, if the claimant has more than two minutes on his clock the arbiter shall deduct half of the claimant`s remaining time up to a maximum of three minutes. If the claimant has more than one minute, but less than two minutes, his remaining time shall be one minute. If the claimant has less than one minute, the arbiter shall make no adjustment to the claimant`s clock. Then the game shall continue and the intended move must be made.
9.6
The game is drawn when a position is reached from which a checkmate cannot occur by any possible series of legal moves, even with the most unskilled play. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing this position was legal.
http://www.fide.com/official/handbook.asp?level=EE101