Checkmate a KING.

If a King is cornered but not in check...and he trys to moved but he will be in check is that checkmate ?

Originally posted by murraywash
If a King is cornered but not in check...and he trys to moved but he will be in check is that checkmate ?

No. The King must be in check. If you have no legal moves, but are NOT in check, the game is drawn by stalemate.

many GM's believe this rule should be eliminated. Should be a win..and I agree.

Originally posted by ogb
many GM's believe this rule should be eliminated. Should be a win..and I agree.

Name one!

Elimination of stalemate as a draw would ruin chess. For starters, White wins this without the need for "opposition":



So now, an extra pawn is a larger advantage. Goodbye, endgame nuances, speculative sacrifices and daring gambits. Hello, miserly play-it-safe pawn hoarding.

Exactly, the possibility of stalemate has led to interesting battles and swindles even at top level.

If you're winning, but allow a stalemate, you don't deserve the win.

Originally posted by murraywash
If a King is cornered but not in check...and he trys to moved but he will be in check is that checkmate ?

What you describe is called stalemate, a draw.

Originally posted by murraywash
If a King is cornered but not in check...and he trys to moved but he will be in check is that checkmate ?

You've been here 10 years and you don't know that by now?

Someone asked me this one. I have lots of pieces and opponent only has a king. Can I still resign to lose?

Originally posted by Habeascorp
Someone asked me this one. I have lots of pieces and opponent only has a king. Can I still resign to lose?

Yes.

Originally posted by Habeascorp
Someone asked me this one. I have lots of pieces and opponent only has a king. Can I still resign to lose?

AIUI in those circumstances you can't lose on time -- if you drop through your clock, it's a draw, because your opponent could not possibly checkmate even if you blunder massively. But if you yourself choose to resign, you can.

Why not call checkmate "freshmate" or alternatively, call stalemate "Checklessmate?"

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
Name one!

Elimination of stalemate as a draw would ruin chess. For starters, White wins this without the need for "opposition":

[fen]8/8/8/8/3k4/3P4/3K4/8[/fen]

So now, an extra pawn is a larger advantage. Goodbye, endgame nuances, speculative sacrifices and daring gambits. Hello, miserly play-it-safe pawn hoarding.

GM Nigel Short says that stalemate should be a win for the side giving it.

He's said that all stalemate accomplishes is to make a very drawish game even more drawish.

Also: "The King is lost on the next move after it is stalemated, so it is entirely consistent with the aim of the game - capturing the king." He said this on his player's page on chessgames.com.

Originally posted by Spectators
GM Nigel Short says that stalemate should be a win for the side giving it.

He's said that all stalemate accomplishes is to make a very drawish game even more drawish.

Also: "The King is lost on the next move after it is stalemated, so it is entirely consistent with the aim of the game - capturing the king." He said this on his player's page on chessgames.com.

Now that you mention it, I think that's right. I still am not sure he has really thought it through. The loss of nuance, for example, probably outweighs the reduction in draws. Really, it is only at the super-GM level that the game is that drawish.

Originally posted by Spectators
GM Nigel Short says that stalemate should be a win for the side giving it.

He's said that all stalemate accomplishes is to make a very drawish game even more drawish.

Also: "The King is lost on the next move after it is stalemated, so it is entirely consistent with the aim of the game - capturing the king." He said this on his player's page on chessgames.com.

But stalemate means the king is only quarantined, sequestered, not captured. You have to have a weapon at the ready to stab the sucker if you want to count it as a win. We're KILLING the king here, not sending it to Alcapulco to retire🙂

Napoleon was after all exiled to Elba with no men and made a come back! (but didn't from St Helens.)