Vsz: stalemate. A hopeless, difficult life situation - how to find a way out of a dead end How to understand a stalemate

The Batetsky district in its northwestern part has a unique landscape, which does not exist anywhere else in the Novgorod region. Only our closest neighbors can boast of such a gift from nature - Leningrad region and Estonia. In time immemorial, at the dawn of mankind, when man himself was far from feeling like the master of nature, a glacier, moving from the north, rolling and crushing rocks, exhausted, left huge boulders and gravel-pebble carpets here. home unique feature terrain - alvar meadows, juniper heaths with moraine hills, and pine woodlands on limestone.

This is a relatively small area where natural conditions, a thin layer of carbonate soil, have determined the existence of a biotope atypical for the Novgorod region, where representatives of flora and fauna that are not typical for the region live - flowers, plants, insects, animals. The landscape near the village of Ivnya in the Batetsky district is not only a beautiful place - hills, a pond, streams, groves, where you can relax, communicating with nature and marveling at it, but also a whole laboratory for studying the natural world.

The importance of this territory cannot be overestimated. Here are the habitats of rare and endangered plants, animals and mushrooms - 36 species are listed in the Red Book of the Novgorod Region and the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

The value of this zone is emphasized by scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who have conducted and continue to conduct their research here, calling the area near Ivni a reserve of unique biological diversity.

The Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the organizations whose successor it is, have been studying wild plants here for more than 100 years. Since 2001, a number of plant species have been found that are not found anywhere else in the Novgorod region and are included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation - lady's slipper, helmeted orchis (individual flowers in the inflorescence resemble tiny men in helmets), Baltic palmate root.

In 2012, specialists from the St. Petersburg Mycological Society found thirty species of mushrooms discovered here for the first time in our region, and four of them turned out to be new to Russia. Some are included and recommended for inclusion in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, a number of the discovered species of mushrooms are subject to protection in many countries, are listed in similar European Red Books and in the annex to the Berne Convention on the Conservation of Natural Habitats in Europe.

What conclusion suggests itself from all that has been said? The wealth received as a gift from nature must be protected and preserved.

Alas, people, while satisfying their needs, do not care much about preserving the environment.

The main part of the large hill near the village of Ivnya no longer exists. During the Soviet period, sand was taken here for construction needs. Nature itself healed the quarry left after development as best it could. A pond has formed here, the banks are overgrown with bushes and trees. And here, as if remembering their former habitats, orchids and lonely bushes of evergreen juniper have returned - these representatives of the cypress family love warm spaces, and in the local territory of the Batetsky region, an outpost of the carbonate meadows of the Baltic states, the climate is warm, the average annual temperature is +4 degrees, and spring begins earlier than in other areas of the region.

"Men in Helmets"

Leaving the car at the beginning of the Sands, as the locals call this hill, we head towards Malaya Borovina and Gryada (also local names), which will lead to another quarry, and behind it - to a former oak grove, from which the only perennial oak remains.

Our guide was Sofya Vadimovna Nikitina from the village of Ivnya. She, a resident of St. Petersburg, was looking with her family for a place in the Novgorod region where they could buy a house for a summer residence, saw the local nature - and no longer considered other options. And for eight years now he has been living in Ivna almost constantly. She is a glass artist by profession and has set up a small workshop to work in her house in the village. But her friends call her nothing more than “a general specialist in Ivna.” Because she became, as she herself says, “due to circumstances and interest in nature,” a botanist, an ecologist, and an entomologist (she compiled collections of Ivno butterflies for the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences).

Here, they say, there was a big, big hill, and very beautiful,” says Sofya Vadimovna, as we walk along the edge of an old former quarry, the bottom of which has turned into a pond. The croaking of frogs can be heard from the grassy thickets.

I was once given a green lake frog, and I also released it here,” recalls our guide. – Here you can find the red-listed ranatra from the family of aquatic scorpions and the swimming beetle.

In general, it turns out that we have an on-site lesson in botany and zoology at once.

Here, on the high bank of the pond, on the dry slopes, there are white and red flowers of resin, which is also called flypaper, lilac bells, white mountain clover, yellow caps of sedum, blue flowers of cross-shaped gentian. And also oregano. There is not much of it here, says Sophia, but on Borovino, when the oregano blooms, the entire field is covered with a purple haze. Common, widespread plant species and rare ones listed in the Red Book peacefully coexist here.

In the lowland near the pond there is a kingdom of orchids, including the mentioned Red Book orchis orchis militaris, an orchid that you will not find anywhere else in the Novgorod region.

Later, going out to the other side of the pond, finding ourselves in a large depression remaining from a hill that disappeared as a result of sand mining, we will photograph the lilac candles (they also come in white, pink, and red shades) of orchis militaris - not at all warlike, gathered in the clearing “troops” of tiny people in helmets.

Above them and the stems of the browberry - tiny green orchids with small flowers (because of their unsightliness they don’t even try to collect them in bouquets), and juniper bushes, and bunches of variegated horsetail, above all this Red Book brotherhood, dragonflies will circle and water lovers will flutter in flocks - blue butterflies. Here they are visible and invisible, but the rarest butterfly, the black bear, which was also recently discovered near Ivnya, does not fly here into the lowlands, its habitat is dry rocky slopes.

Ivna has a special zone - rare butterflies live here, because rare plants grow here: everything is interconnected.

Is barbarism ineradicable?

But we move on. This is Malaya Borovina. Pine forest, not very big. Among the pines there are small trees, only a couple of tens of centimeters tall - young oak trees just beginning their life. There are quite a lot of them: jays apparently carry acorns.

The old pines adjacent to the path have blackened trunks at the bottom, with black cone brands lying around. And some of the young pines on the other side turned completely yellow. They are no longer viable. What happened?

The trouble on Borovino happened this spring. One of the visiting vacationers apparently did not put out the fire or threw away a burning cigarette butt. The fire spread below.

Sophia, who was away, rode her bicycle here. Residents of the village of Ivnya have already managed to call firefighters. The fire was stopped. But if the old pines are, in general, not damaged, then the young trees will not recover.

That’s why we want this to be a specially protected natural area. There should be information boards warning people: you can’t light a fire here, you can’t pick rare flowers for bouquets, you can’t dig up plants for your own gardens and orchards. You can't keep digging the quarry. So that people feel responsible for the harm caused to nature, so that there is no barbaric attitude towards nature,” says Sofya Nikitina.

We are convinced that poaching continues when we go out here to the cliff of the former quarry. Freshly dug holes are evidence that sand was recently removed from here.

The most amazing thing is that they come here for sand and throw out garbage here. If I see someone, I ask them to leave, I drive around periodically. Not long ago they came from Batetsky on a tractor, with a bucket and a trailer, and took sand, apparently for sale. There were conflicts - people swung a shovel at me. Some people have no time for beauty, they don’t care about beautiful flowers, they need sand - they will take it if they can come and dig it up for free,” our guide is upset.

"Always Alive" is not protected

The pine forest of Malaya Borovina with picturesque boulders is left behind, and we follow the path along the narrow top of the Ridge. It is relatively small, up to a kilometer long, and about ten meters high. The moraine ridge was created by a glacier, squeezing it out of the bottom of the ancient sea. There are several more such ridges in the vicinity of Ivnya. On the slopes there are maple, linden, alder, elm, birch, hazel - nature takes its toll, broad-leaved trees advance.

And we are trying not to step on the placers of the Red Book juveniles. Thick spreading dense and open buds of the “roses” of the young, the name of which is translated from Latin as “always alive”, are represented here by a whole vegetable garden.

Sophia is surprised at people’s habit of digging up these plants in order to take them away and plant them in cemetery burials.

Six plants from the Red Book can be seen on the Ridge. In addition to the rejuvenation, there are bushes of joster, flowers of gentian cruciform, skerda obtuse rhizome, and sedge birdfoot. And in order to look at an amazing, rare plant - lady's slipper, you have to balance, risking falling off a steep slope that ends in another, long-standing quarry.

Below, white islands of umbrella buten are swaying in the wind, and thickets of ferns have formed into a strict geometric pattern. When the willow elecampane blooms, the entire slope will turn into a solid yellow haze.

And we are already walking along the bottom of an old quarry, rare surviving pine trees cling to the edge of the slope, they are held by strong, partially exposed roots.

In the meadow, young oak trees peek out from the grass here and there. If the land does not go under plowing, Sophia believes, in twenty years the oak grove will be revived here. Only one representative of her remained in the clearing. The old oak seems to be guarding the young shoots.


Returning back along the Ridge, we hear croaking from the forest on the opposite edge of the former quarry.

- These are the black ones O rons, birds of the wild, and simple thief O“We are not found here, there are no utility yards, food dumps, the territory is generally unattractive for them,” our guide explains and continues the review of the fauna of Ivni: “There are spindles here - legless lizards, quick lizards, vipers. Roe deer from the Red Book are found here. In summer, they and their cubs hide in the depths of the forest, and in winter they come very close to the village. And also a mink – my dog ​​chased one up a tree, but I couldn’t take a picture, though. There are also bears and moose. I saw a little weasel, it’s a small animal of the weasel breed. Foxes, raccoon dogs. They say a wolverine was seen here, but I can’t confirm this. And I had a story with the bear. I went to the alvars two weeks ago to photograph the primrose there and see what was growing and in what condition. I approached the copse, and suddenly there was a rumble in the bushes, and something brown flashed from the spot. At first I thought it was a moose. I shout to him: “Hey, moose!” And suddenly such a menacing “r-r-r-r” from the bushes, and again. And I slowly began to leave. Then I saw footprints - a mother bear and two cubs.

Peas with juniper

Dry rocky hills, composed of limestone fragments, are covered with special meadows - alvars. Some hills are forested with pine trees. Here is the same interesting, non-traditional vegetation for the Novgorod region. Junipers, and at the foot there are representatives of the Red Book - helmet-shaped orchis, tall primrose and elongated pyramids of pink Baltic fingerroot, it is so called because its roots look like splayed fingers.

We are moving towards the alvars with a group of Novgorodians joining us. Representatives of the Novgorod Society of Antiquity Lovers arrived on an excursion to these places, which could become protected areas. Accompanying the group is Elena Mikhailovna Litvinova, secretary of the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society, candidate of biological sciences, who taught at Novgorod State University for more than a quarter of a century, worked in the Valdai National Park and in the regional institution “Directorate for the Management of Protected Natural Areas.”

She, together with Sofia Vadimovna Nikitina, shows lovers of antiquity a unique landscape.

These places near the village of Ivnya are of particular interest to researchers. Here, neighboring, there is an overgrown quarry, where a new biological community is being formed, and Borovina, which back in the 70s local residents proposed to make a local natural monument.

Using government grant funds, within the framework of cooperation between academic institutes and universities, expeditions were again organized here in the 2000s under a program to study unique territories to develop proposals for nature conservation.

The wish of the majority is not the law

Everyone - local residents, researchers, and the regional Ministry of Natural Resources, Forestry and Ecology - are in favor of preserving this unusual piece of nature for our region, a historical landscape where rare species of plants, insects, and animals are concentrated. Is there anything that can prevent the fulfillment of this universal desire? It turns out that such an obstacle exists, and, as the events of recent days demonstrate, the obstacle is still insurmountable.

An independent state environmental assessment of the project for a specially protected natural area “Landscape in the vicinity of the village of Ivnya”, prepared by the State Public Institution “Regional Center for Natural Resources and Ecology of the Novgorod Region”, has been completed. The expert opinion on the project to create a natural monument is negative. There is, in general, only one stumbling block. On the territory of the planned protected area, the area of ​​which is about 280 hectares, there is a subsoil plot of local importance "Ivnya", the license for the right to use which was registered in August 2011 by Rosnedra - the Department of Subsoil Use for the North-Western Federal District. Purpose and types of work: geological study, exploration and sand extraction. Licensee – LLC “Quarry Ivnya M”.

It is worth noting that for regional officials this is already the second unsuccessful attempt to pass the state environmental assessment of the Ivnya protected area project. In general, the conflict has been dragging on for all the years since the residents of the village of Ivnya, having learned about the possible development of a sand quarry, vigorously sounded the alarm, taking measures to protect the unique territory from economic interference. .

If we look at the chronology of events, we should start in 2008. Then the regional committee for the protection of the environment and natural resources notified the department of geology and licensing for the Novgorod region that rare species of vegetation were noted in the area near the village of Ivnya as a result of research conducted by NovSU and the Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Their status and level of protection dictate that the territories in which they are located “must be reserved for the purpose of creating specially protected natural areas of botanical profile and establishing a regime prohibiting activities that lead to a reduction in the number of these plants and deteriorate their habitat.”

At the same time, however, the letter indicated that there are no specially protected natural areas of regional significance in the “Ivnya” subsoil plot proposed for use in the Batetsky district. However, that’s how it was.

In May 2011, the Committee for the Protection of the Environment and Natural Resources notified the regional economic committee in a letter about the boundaries of the projected protected area “Landscape in the vicinity of the village of Ivnya”.

But on August 2, 2011, Rosnedra nevertheless registered a license for the use of subsoil at the Ivnya site.

And turning the situation back, as it turns out, became impossible, despite requests and recommendations, including the section of the Scientific and Technical Council for the Novgorod region of Sevzapnedra in February 2012, to exclude from the area of ​​the geological allotment of the subsoil plot “Ivnya” the area of ​​the project protected area “Landscape in the vicinity” village of Ivnya”, as well as the inclusion of this very landscape in the list of territories promising for the creation of natural monuments by the decree of the Administration of the Novgorod Region “On approval of the territorial planning scheme of the Novgorod Region” in June 2012.

Official letters from the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences with calls to prevent the creation of quarries on the territory of the protected area and plowing of land did not help resolve the situation either. (which is observed now, and a strange position is taken by the administration of the Batetsky district, which, knowing the value of the territory, recently announced an auction for the sale of land plots located on the site of the future natural monument - N.M.) .

And local residents, who are passionate about their territory, at public hearings in the Batetsky district were unable to convince the license holder to refuse it and thereby eliminate the threat of loss of a unique landscape. Serious passions were boiling there; village residents still indignantly quote the head of Quarry Ivnya M LLC, who suggested that they dig up all the Red Book plants on his site, plant them in one place, “and let your botanists deal with them there.”

Experts are for, but against

Of course, I wanted, together with the residents of the village of Ivnya and representatives of the interested Novgorod public, including the Novgorod Ecology club, to share the disappointment regarding the negative expert opinion on the project to create a protected area “Landscape in the vicinity of the village of Ivnya”.

But it’s still not possible to suspect experts of biased opinions.

I myself, to be honest, am very worried about this situation. And I wanted to write a positive conclusion. This is, indeed, a valuable territory, researchers are right in defending its safety,” says state expert Irina Anatolyevna Elistratova, associate professor of the Department of Ecology and Environmental Management of Novgorod state university. - While studying the materials, I requested all possible documents, correspondence between regional authorities and institutions with the entrepreneur, and the licensee’s reports. Using the coordinates, I checked the presence of rare species listed in the Red Book in the subsoil area.

According to Irina Elistratova, from the point of view of legal norms, no violations were committed by the federal authority when issuing a license. The licensee complies with all the prescribed conditions regarding the waiting period, development of the field development project, and submission of reports. Experts had to analyze whether there would be restrictions on economic activity for the intended purpose when organizing protected areas. Yes, they will, and this alone, in accordance with the regulations of the examination, does not allow us to give a positive conclusion, even if we do not pay attention to the fact that, for example, not only official approvals from other owners and tenants of land plots were not presented ( and these are lands for agricultural purposes, industry, energy, transport, forestry and water resources) in the territory of the planned protected area, but at least preliminary confirmation of such intentions.

Minister of Natural Resources, Forestry and Ecology of the Novgorod Region Vladimir Korolev, commenting on the current situation, expressed the position of the regional ministry clearly and concisely:

The territory undoubtedly has value. It must be preserved, and we will insist on this to the last. Part of the territory is allocated by Rosnedra under a license for the development of mineral resources. But initially, the license outlines the burdens for the entrepreneur regarding the conservation of rare species of flora and fauna listed in the Red Book. In addition, part of the allocated land plot is agricultural land, and until the district transfers it to industrial land, and in the current situation the regional commission will not allow this to be done, industrial economic activity will be impossible. Recently, the head of the subsoil use department of our ministry met with the license holder and once again warned about all possible violations of the law. So, nothing threatens the landscape near the village of Ivnya from the point of view of developing a sand quarry. Yes, the opinions of our specialists in protected areas and independent experts do not coincide. Independent experts are of the opinion that it is inappropriate to create protected areas there. We will return to this situation again. Personally, I cannot definitively resolve the issue, although both as a person and as the head of the ministry I understand that this territory must be preserved. But all opinions must be taken into account. My position is that we need to act taking into account the opinion of the public, in the interests of the territory and business. Make the right decision within the framework of legislation and the interests of the territory. Today there must be mutual control, including from the public, until all permitting documents are put in order.

Vladimir Korolev also commented on the actions of the authorities of the Batetsky district, who put up for sale agricultural land falling within the zone of the planned protected area. The regional ministry recommended that the district leadership cancel the auctions.

Who will find a way out of the deadlock?

Despite the clear position adhered to by officials of the regional environmental ministry and the institution subordinate to it, the situation with the creation of a specially protected natural area “Landscape in the vicinity of the village of Ivnya”, without exaggeration, has reached a dead end. Why? Independent experts confirm that the developers' latest attempt to obtain a positive conclusion on the project, in its current implementation, is categorically doomed to failure. While the zone of the planned protected area will include a site for which a license for the right to use subsoil has been issued, not a single expert, anticipating legal proceedings that will result in the inevitable cancellation of the conclusion, will ignore the norms of the law.

There is an option - not to include the subsoil section “Ivnya” within the boundaries of the protected area being created. But it is in its coordinates that Sands, Malaya Borovina, Gryada are located - the most interesting places the landscapes we traveled through. And the authors of the protected area project do not agree with this proposal, which was expressed by both experts and the license holder.

How in chess game, both sides of the conflict are in a stalemate. Moreover, it arose a long time ago - and it can drag on for a very long time.

Within the projected boundaries of the mining allotment of the Ivnya sand deposit with an area of ​​45.7 hectares, the habitats of 19 animal and flora, listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and the Red Book of the Novgorod Region, and in the zone of possible impact of work at a distance of less than one kilometer from the boundaries of the allotment there are 17 protected natural objects. To enhance the effect of the significance of the place, it can be noted that 20 species of plants, mushrooms and animals that have a single location here have chosen to live on “licensed” land, of which 2 are unique to Russia, 4 to the North-West and 14 to the Novgorod region. Information on the habitats of protected flora and fauna has been provided to the department of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources in the Novgorod Region.

Given this “encumbrance”, the license holder has no opportunity to begin developing a quarry for sand extraction, as he risks being subject to far from small sanctions and fines provided for by federal administrative and criminal legislation. For example, the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Violations provides for a fine for legal entities from 500,000 to 1,000,000 rubles for the destruction of rare and endangered plants and animals or violation of their habitat.

However, the license holder himself does not intend to give up the license. In one of the letters addressed to the State Budgetary Institution “Directorate for the Management of Protected Natural Areas”, he asked to exclude from the territory of the project to create a natural monument of regional significance the site of the Ivnya subsoil deposit, otherwise the company is ready to defend its interests - the costs of obtaining a license, the work carried out on geological study - in the courts. Expenses CEO LLC "Quarry Ivnya M" A.I. Mikhovich estimated it at 8.5 million rubles. However, he will still have to justify this amount in court...

The situation that has arisen is unlikely to benefit anyone. Including business. Although, it seems, there cannot be any “business interests” separate from the interests of the population and the state. Moreover, after the extraction of sand and ASG loses its strategic importance for the regional budget, and high-ranking officials even promised it on the territory of the province.

That is why the editors of Novaya Novgorodskaya Gazeta and the online magazine Portal 53 are forced to turn to Governor Andrei Nikitin. The regional authorities, in our opinion, should be particularly interested in ensuring that the intention expressed by them (and supported by people) to create a protected area in Ivna is realized. After all, no one has canceled the Development Strategy of the Novgorod Region and the development of the “green framework” of the province envisaged by it for the ecological balance in the territory, and this framework is composed primarily of reserved, protected areas. We believe that political will is needed, that same “proletarian determination” to cut the Gordian knot called “Ivnya”. The best thing to do is to sit down at the negotiating table with the licensee and the imprudent licensor, discuss the procedure for revoking the license, the mechanism for compensating the initial costs and expenses incurred.

The emergence of seemingly insurmountable obstacles to the implementation of government plans causes citizens to feel powerless. It’s unlikely that you want this, Andrey Sergeevich.

It happens that mate is like a goal chess game, is defined by the comparison “to capture the enemy king.” This is not entirely correct. More precisely, it would be “capture the enemy’s king and attack him with your piece.” For a situation where the king is simply “captured”, but no one threatens him, i.e. Not a single enemy piece gives check; a more suitable definition is stalemate. What is it - a loss or a draw? With the help of specific examples and videos, we will now understand everything.

Pat- this is a situation in a chess game when a player cannot make a move without breaking , but his king is not under attack and is not in check. Let's get straight to the examples.

Black's move. The black king cannot take the pawn or go to g7, since these squares are penetrated by the white king, and the g8 square is penetrated by the pawn. Possible squares where the black knight can go are occupied by its own pawns; the pawns themselves are blocked and also have no moves. The black bishop is tied by the rook and cannot move away because a check will be revealed to his king. There is nothing to walk with. There is a stalemate on the board.

A stalemate position in a chess game means a draw (from Italian “patta” means a draw).

Beginner chess players often have a very disappointing result, since one of the sides usually has an advantage and, it would seem, the win was so close...

Typical position:

White has an extra queen, but after his rash move the board is stalemate, a draw.

However, stalemate is not always the result - the consequences are only inattention; sometimes stalemate is the result clear actions one of the players to break the tie.

Theoretical draw ending. A passed pawn along the c line on the penultimate rank supported by the king against the queen.

In order not to miss the black pawn into the queen, White must continuously check (in this case, the black king moves on squares a1 and b1), or take the pawn. Then the black king has no moves, stalemate.

"Mad Rook"

Black's move.

Typical stalemate. The mad kamikaze rook continuously checks the enemy king, sacrificing itself. But if it is taken, it turns out to be a stalemate.

Often in chess studies to find a draw, the solution is precisely to arrive at a stalemate position.

Author LIS-ELIS asked a question in the section Society, Politics, Media

What is a stalemate "situation"? and got the best answer

Answer from Steyaz[guru]
Stalemate is a situation in chess when it is impossible to move any piece without the king being in check. It means a draw (since the 19th century), and in some systems of rules it means a loss or gain for the side in such a situation.
Stalemate - hopeless situation

Answer from Maksr[guru]
when the king has nowhere to go and there is no Shah


Answer from Colt.45[guru]
in chess the situation is a draw.


Answer from Nadezhda Voronina[guru]
A more correct “stalemate” situation... when there is no way out... and nothing can be done...


Answer from Past[guru]
if in chess, then a situation in which the game can either continue indefinitely (there are two kings left and that’s it), or a situation in which one of the players cannot make any move (a king cannot be placed under shif, and there are no other moves left)


Answer from Victoria[guru]
any move by the king or his retinue and he is finished, but there is no check - a draw


Answer from Dima Vilga[guru]
when there is no move in the game of chess and boards, but the game is not lost, since there is no checkmate.


Answer from Donald Stroev[guru]
I agree with previous respondents.


Answer from Oliya Elkova[newbie]
Dear colleagues, A stalemate in chess when the king!! Exactly for him!! there is nowhere to go, because HE (the king) is under attack (check) by the enemy piece. And the game ends in defeat.
In life, a stalemate means that no matter what path you choose, no matter what you do, you will still fail for any reason.
From folklore, you can recall the painting “The Knight at the Crossroads”. Where on the stone it is indicated: if you go left, you will die from an arrow; if you go to the right, you will die from a spear; If you go straight, you will die by the sword. The roads are different, but the result is the same - death. Here Vityaz stands and thinks where to go.
A synonym for a stalemate is hopelessness.


Answer from Yotanislav Osychnyuk[expert]
"Yulia Elkova Student (121) 1 month ago
Dear colleagues, A stalemate in chess when the king!! Exactly for him!! there is nowhere to go, because HE (the king) is under attack (check) by the enemy piece. And the game ends in defeat. "
What nonsense?)) According to this logic, at the beginning of the game there is already a stalemate)) by the way, a stalemate is a draw, not a defeat.
A stalemate is when you want to move, but there is nothing to move, for example, the pawns are up against the enemy, there are no pieces, and any move by the king is in check. Pat and draw.
But “Different roads, but the same result - death” is more of a zugzwang

Author LIS-ELIS asked a question in the section Society, Politics, Media

What is a stalemate "situation"? and got the best answer

Answer from Steyaz[guru]
Stalemate is a situation in chess when it is impossible to move any piece without the king being in check. It means a draw (since the 19th century), and in some systems of rules it means a loss or gain for the side in such a situation.
Stalemate - hopeless situation

Answer from Maksr[guru]
when the king has nowhere to go and there is no Shah


Answer from Colt.45[guru]
in chess the situation is a draw.


Answer from Nadezhda Voronina[guru]
A more correct “stalemate” situation... when there is no way out... and nothing can be done...


Answer from Past[guru]
if in chess, then a situation in which the game can either continue indefinitely (there are two kings left and that’s it), or a situation in which one of the players cannot make any move (a king cannot be placed under shif, and there are no other moves left)


Answer from Victoria[guru]
any move by the king or his retinue and he is finished, but there is no check - a draw


Answer from Dima Vilga[guru]
when there is no move in the game of chess and boards, but the game is not lost, since there is no checkmate.


Answer from Donald Stroev[guru]
I agree with previous respondents.


Answer from Oliya Elkova[newbie]
Dear colleagues, A stalemate in chess when the king!! Exactly for him!! there is nowhere to go, because HE (the king) is under attack (check) by the enemy piece. And the game ends in defeat.
In life, a stalemate means that no matter what path you choose, no matter what you do, you will still fail for any reason.
From folklore, you can recall the painting “The Knight at the Crossroads”. Where on the stone it is indicated: if you go left, you will die from an arrow; if you go to the right, you will die from a spear; If you go straight, you will die by the sword. The roads are different, but the result is the same - death. Here Vityaz stands and thinks where to go.
A synonym for a stalemate is hopelessness.


Answer from Yotanislav Osychnyuk[expert]
"Yulia Elkova Student (121) 1 month ago
Dear colleagues, A stalemate in chess when the king!! Exactly for him!! there is nowhere to go, because HE (the king) is under attack (check) by the enemy piece. And the game ends in defeat. "
What nonsense?)) According to this logic, at the beginning of the game there is already a stalemate)) by the way, a stalemate is a draw, not a defeat.
A stalemate is when you want to move, but there is nothing to move, for example, the pawns are up against the enemy, there are no pieces, and any move by the king is in check. Pat and draw.
But “Different roads, but the same result - death” is more of a zugzwang

Good afternoon, dear friend!

Beginning chess players often have questions about stalemate. What does stalemate mean? Is it a loss or a draw? Should we strive for a stalemate? And so on. In this article you will learn what a stalemate is in chess and get answers to all your questions.

But first small retreat. Since you’ve landed on this page, it means you’re a beginner, so we bring to your attention a cool educational video course “How to teach a child to play chess.” Thanks to him, you will learn and understand all the rules yourself, and you will also teach a child from 4 years old to play. You will not regret...

(subscribe for updates).

What is stalemate?

Definition: stalemate is a position on the board in which the player who has the right to move cannot make a move without violating the rules of chess.

Simply put, he has “nowhere to go.”

At the same time, what is important is - the king is not attacked, that is, he is not in check .

Example :

All squares where the black king can go are fought by white pieces. And according to the rules, the king cannot be under fire. Black's pawns cannot move either. In this case, Black's king is not attacked. There is a stalemate on the board.

What does it meanstalemate in the game?

A stalemate on the board means that the game ended in a draw. Usually, in such a situation, players do not have disputes.

However, there are also outbursts of emotions. The peculiarity of a stalemate is that one of the parties at the time of the stalemate usually has a large advantage and is already anticipating victory. For such a player, stalemate comes as a surprise, which sometimes leads to emotional reactions.

Typical positions

The most typical case is a stalemate due to inattention. For example:


White gave check with his queen on c7, the black king went into the corner.


White played Krs5-v6 ??, rubbing his hands and intending to checkmate with his queen on the next move. However... the black king has no moves! You already know what this means. Unfortunately for White, there is a draw on the board.

"Forced" stalemate

A very common ending is a king and a pawn against a king. Final position:


White has little choice - retreat, losing a pawn, or play Ke6-d6 with stalemate.

"Mad Rook" technique

What does it mean Such a threatening characteristic is easier to illustrate with an example:


White has a whole rook more. Black's move. What to do? Give check to h4 and win the h5 pawn? This won't save the party. With an extra rook, White will win easily.

Fortunately, the situation is such that Black has nothing to move other than his rook.

We turn on logic and... Right! The rook should be sacrificed!


1… Rg4-g2+!!

Now if 2.Kh2:g2 – the board is stalemate.

So what to do? If 2.Kh2-h1, then 2...Rg2-g1+!. Or 2.Kh2-h3 Rg2-g3+!


And the rook cannot be captured, it’s a stalemate, and the white king cannot escape to the center of the board. Draw.

The “crazy rook” technique is typical, although it is not so common in practice.

However, it needs to be known and remembered. In order to prevent the rook from turning into a “crazy one”, having an advantage, or to take advantage of this opportunity in a worse position, like Black in our example.

Sketch stalemates

Occasionally in chess there are stalemates that can be reached by study. Etudes are a separate topic and we will discuss them in other articles. Solving sketches is very useful, including for children.

By the way, the example with the mad rook also contains combinational sketch motifs.

How to get into a stalemate?

I wouldn’t recommend deliberately playing for a stalemate in a worse position. The possibility of stalemate does not arise very often in chess. In my experience, what can happen is that you deliberately make your position worse in hopes of stalemate, but you fail to achieve stalemate. This happens most often.

Thank you for your interest in the article.

If you found it useful, please do the following:

  1. Share with your friends by clicking on the social media buttons.
  2. Write a comment (at the bottom of the page)
  3. Subscribe to blog updates (form under the social media buttons) and receive articles in your email.

Have a nice day!

Different games