Three Types of Draws

Stalemate is not the only draw that can be achieved in the game of chess, although it is the most well known. The other two types of draws include the fifty-move rule and the three-fold repetition. If you are looking for the win then you want to avoid draws as much as possible and have the game result in a checkmate instead of a draw.

A stalemate is when it is your opponent's turn, but they have no legal moves that they can make. This means that the king is the only piece that can be moved, but it cannot be moved into check. Remember that it is illegal for a king to place himself in check. This results in the draw by way of stalemate. Neither player wins the game.

The fifty move rule is when there are no pawn movements and no captures for fifty consecutive moves. If a pawn move or a capture takes place, then the count resets to zero and begins again. Upon reaching fifty moves either player may claim a draw and again no one wins the game. Typically this happens when both players only have one or two pieces left on the board.

The three-fold repetition says that if the exact same position occurs on the board three times during a game, either player may claim a draw. Sometimes this is done on accident, other times it is forced by placing an opponent in check over and over again. Think of being able to take a picture of the board three different times during a game and the pictures come out identical to each other.

Try to avoid these draws so that you are able to come away with an official win. Avoid these by watching out for them and being sure to look for every opportunity to place your opponent in checkmate.



© 2005 IDF Technologies, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
1. Offense or Defense
2. God Save The Queen
3. Bluffing
4. Keep from Blocking Yourself
5. Middle or sides
6. Skewering and Pinning
7. Castling
8. Put your Pieces to Work
9. The Power of the Pawn
10. The Double Threat

21. End Game Ideas
22. Doubled Pawns
23. End Game Goals
24. Middle Game Tactics
25. Chart Your Progress
26. Deflection
27. Master An Opening
28. Chess Notation Part 1
29. Chess Notation Part 2
30. Chess Notation Part 3

41. The Classic Kings Pawn Opening
42. Chess Variants
43. Checkmate
44. Defend Yourself
45. Simplicity
46. Attack on the Kings Side
47. Play Against a Computer
48. Zwischenzug
49. Do Not Fret
50. Take Advantage of Your Opponents Doubled Pawns

61. Memorizing Openings
62. Winning a Won Game
63. You Are Going to Lose
64. Castling Ideas
65. A Winning Attitude
66. Develop Your Pieces
67. The Best Move
68. Ways to Protect an Attacked Piece
69. What is Your Opponent Trying to do?
70. When to Capture a Promoting Piece

81. Pinning
82. Plan Ahead
83. Retreat
84. Take a Risk
85. The Best Move 2
86. The Center of the Game
87. The Problem With Pawns
88. The Skewer
89. The Unopposed Bishop
90. Two Weaknesses

(more coming)

Other Chess Resources
11. The Trade Off
12. Three Types of Draws
13. The Strategic Sacrifice
14. Hidden Attacks
15. Understanding The Three Stages of a Chess Game
16. Four Move Checkmate
17. Use Your Moves Wisely
18. Utilizing Your Bishops
19. King Of The World
20. Pony Up


31. Join a Chess Club
32. Chess Etiquette
33. Pay Attention
34. Gambits
35. Have Your Game Analyzed
36. Long Term Thinking
37. Think Ahead
38. Watch Others
39. Learn from Grandmasters
40. The Spike or Grob Opening

51. The King as an Offensive Piece
52. Blockades
53. Chasing
54. Study Chess Problem Diagrams
55. Exchanging Pieces
56. Exploit Weaknesses
57. Learning About Bishops
58. Play the Board
59. The Lone Pawn
60. Why Play Speed Chess

71. When to Capture the Pinned Piece
72. Doing Nothing
73. Which Forked Piece to Capture
74. Explore Variety
75. Studying is Hard Work
76. Activity
77. Center Domination
78. Development
79. Pawns on the Third Rank
80. Piece Values

91. What is your opponent doing?
92. Chess History
93. Lack of Tempo

Books:
Chess History And Reminiscences
Chess Strategy