Hi Banicolnc,
Stalemate is a kind of draw that happens when one side has NO legal moves to make. If the king is NOT in check, but no piece can be moved without putting the king in check, then the game will end with a stalemate draw!
In this position black is not in check, however he has no other legal move to make without putting himself in check therefore this is a stalemate and ends in a draw.
Regards
KobraBytes
You set this position up with White to move, but I assume that was a mistake. With Black to move, there is no legal move, but Black is not in check, which is the definition of stalemate. What move do you think Black has?
You set this position up with White to move, but I assume that was a mistake. With Black to move, there is no legal move, but Black is not in check, which is the definition of stalemate. What move do you think Black has?
Shouldn't this give me the win if he cant move without going into check then? stupid rule
No. In that case, endgames would become incredibly boring. A single pawn advantage could not be stopped from promoting. Beginners often see stalemate as a cheap draw trap, but that is not what it is supposed to be in real chess.
You set this position up with White to move, but I assume that was a mistake. With Black to move, there is no legal move, but Black is not in check, which is the definition of stalemate. What move do you think Black has?
Shouldn't this give me the win if he cant move without going into check then? stupid rule
The goal is checkmate and if you don't checkmate, you don't win. You can usually easily avoid these positions once you know about the rule and endgame theory would be quite different and probably more boring without it.
And btw, just to avoid confusion in the future: not every draw is a stalemate. The term stalemate is reserved for this special kind of draw.
And btw, just to avoid confusion in the future: not every draw is a stalemate. The term stalemate is reserved for this special kind of draw.
What other kind of draws are there? btw i just learned chess today
Opponent has no legal moves but his king is not in check = stalemate = draw.
Opponent has no legal moves but his king is in check = checkmate = win.
There is a draw by 3 fold repetition as well (in essence if the same position on the board happens 3 times, it is a draw).Then there is a draw - 50 moves rule - if there is no capture and no pawns are moved for 50 moves - it is a draw. And of course draw by agreement.
By the way, if you study chess a bit, you will see why stalemate is making chess richer - many endgames would be much more straightforward and 1 pawn up would be game over in most cases, which is not necessarily the case with stalemate.
And btw, just to avoid confusion in the future: not every draw is a stalemate. The term stalemate is reserved for this special kind of draw.
What other kind of draws are there? btw i just learned chess today
In addition to the the draws mentioned by nklristic above, you will also come across draw by insufficient material (which is really just a special case of the draw by the 50 move rule), which occurs when either both sides just don't have enough pieces left to deliver mate (e.g. KN vs KB) or when one player runs out of time and the opponent doesn't have enough pieces to deliver mate.
Opponent has no legal moves but his king is not in check = stalemate = draw.
Opponent has no legal moves but his king is in check = checkmate = win.
There is a draw by 3 fold repetition as well (in essence if the same position on the board happens 3 times, it is a draw).Then there is a draw - 50 moves rule - if there is no capture and no pawns are moved for 50 moves - it is a draw. And of course draw by agreement.
By the way, if you study chess a bit, you will see why stalemate is making chess richer - many endgames would be much more straightforward and 1 pawn up would be game over in most cases, which is not necessarily the case with stalemate.
What do you recommend i study?
Well, I've written an article just for questions like that:
https://www.chess.com/blog/nklristic/the-beginners-tale-first-steps-to-chess-improvement
This is like a rough guide that will help you don't get lost in too many different things you can do, and it will help you avoid some mistakes like trying to learn specific lines without knowing the basics.
Of course, this is not the only way, but things like longer games and basic opening principles mentioned in the article are common denominator so to speak. 
I hope you'll find it helpful. Good luck in any case.
The lessons here on chess.com should be helpful, though I don't know how many are accessible with a free account.
The lessons here on chess.com should be helpful, though I don't know how many are accessible with a free account.
One per week. And sure, they are helpful as well.
The lessons here on chess.com should be helpful, though I don't know how many are accessible with a free account.
One per week. And sure, they are helpful as well.
Ok, one per week is just a teaser.
In addition to the YouTubers nlkristic mentioned in his apparently very sensible blog, I'd like to mention GothamChess, who is instructive and either fun or annoying, depending on your sense of humour.
In addition to the YouTubers nlkristic mentioned in his apparently very sensible blog, I'd like to mention GothamChess, who is instructive and either fun or annoying, depending on your sense of humour.
Thank you. By the way, I mentioned him as well (though not in my top 3 choice). 
How is this a stalemate? can someone explain?