stalemate
/steɪlˈmeɪt/ · stale·mate
noun
- The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw. The chess match ended in a stalemate, with neither player able to checkmate the other.
- Any situation that has no obvious possible movement, but does not involve any personal loss. The company was facing a stalemate in negotiations with the union, but eventually reached a compromise.
verb
- To bring about a state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves. The player's last move led to a stalemate, forcing a draw.
- To bring about a stalemate, in which no advance in an argument is achieved. The two politicians were stalemated in their debate, unable to sway each other's opinions.
Did you know? The term 'stalemate' was first used in chess to describe a situation where a player's king was not in check, but had no legal moves to make, forcing a draw. This concept has since been applied to other areas of life, where a draw or impasse is achieved without any loss or gain.