Chess when is a game a draw

Draws are more common among higher-rated players, but even if you're still a beginner or intermediate player, you should know all the drawing rules so no one catches you by surprise.

According to the FIDE rules, there are five different scenarios where a game can end in a draw. In most cases, one player has to propose or claim a tie, but in some specific situations, an arbiter may decide to end the game and claim a draw.

A draw by stalemate happens when the player who needs to move has no legal moves and his king is not in check otherwise, that would be a checkmate! For a stalemate to happen, the move that produced the position has to be legal. Sometimes, grandmasters find creative ways to avoid losing by making use of the stalemate rule.

You can see one example of this in the diagram below! A dead position happens when neither player can legally checkmate the opponent's king. If the game reaches this situation and the move that generated the position is legal, the game ends in a tie.

One of the most common instances of dead positions is when there is insufficient material for either player to checkmate their opponent. This type of draw can happen even when one of the players runs out of time, provided the other player does not have enough material to deliver checkmate.

As you can see, this rule is very generous to the type of checkmates that players can reach. At any point while playing Chess one of the players can offer the other to Draw — and if they accept the game is declared a Draw. Threefold Repetition. While playing Chess, a Draw is declared when a player has made the same moves, or is about to make the same move, three times in a row — since the player cannot make any progress.

You can't skip a turn in chess, so if you have no moves and it isn't checkmate, then the game ends in a draw. When you're winning a game and your opponent has few pieces left, it's best to take care that you don't accidentally cause a stalemate.

On the board below, it is black's turn, but there are no legal moves available, so it is stalemate. If the exact same position occurs three times, with the same player to move, then either player can claim a draw by threefold repetition.

The game doesn't end in a draw automatically, so you can carry on if you want to, but if either player claims the draw, then the game ends immediately even if the other player wants to carry on. A common type of threefold repetition is known as 'perpetual check', in which one player checks the other repeatedly. This is sometimes used to force a draw when the player giving the checks would otherwise lose. Use the arrows on the board below to see an example of perpetual check.

If 50 moves have passed since the last pawn move or capture, then either player can claim a draw by the 50 move rule. Like threefold repetition, it isn't an automatic draw, so if a player wants the draw then they have to claim it. Of course, this means keeping count of moves, but in tournament chess the players are normally required to record their moves in case of disputes so this normally isn't a problem.

This rule is necessary to stop a game going on forever if neither side is making progress. The players may be happy to shuffle their pieces around until kingdom come, but tournament arbiters want to go home to bed at the end of the day! He will start looking for your weak spots with a view to take advantage. This will definitely worsen your situation in the game should your opponent make it a point to launch an aggressive attack. Not many people understand how these offers to draw the game come about and forget to stop the timer.

This is precisely why most beginners lose the game even before their opponent could accept or reject the draw.

The optimal way to go about a draw is to make the offer first followed by clicking the clock and giving the opponent a chance to accept or reject the offer. When you do this, the opponent is forced to make a decision in his time and not when yours is running. When your opponent makes a move after you made an offer to draw the game, without saying anything, it is considered as an implied rejection of your offer. Remember that it is considered as a very impolite gesture to make a claim to draw the game when your opponent is a much stronger player than you are.

Your offer might actually offend your opponent. You may wonder as to who is considered a strong player. A look at their ratings will tell you if you can regard them as a strong enough player where draws may be impolite When your opponent is rated more than you by at least four hundred to five hundred points, this is a good indication.

Though the primary reason to not offer a draw to a strong player is to avoid offending them, there are several other reasons as well. Since your opponent is a strong player, he will most certainly understand that this offer to draw the game will benefit you the most.

As he loses the opportunity to win the game, he will not accept your offer. He will start looking for your weaknesses, as mentioned before, and make a move with a view to attack you. When you propose to end a game in a draw, especially when your opponent is a professional player, you lose the opportunity to learn so many things from your opponent. Winning the game is one aspect. Your personal growth as a player is equally important. You will not grow as a player if you do not learn from other strong players.