different between stalemate vs checkmate

English

Etymology

stale +? mate

Noun

stalemate (plural stalemates)

1. (chess) The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw.
2. Any situation that has no obvious possible movement, but does not involve any personal loss.
3. Any kind of match in which neither contestant laid claim to victory; a draw.

Related terms

• checkmate
• mate
• stale

Translations

Verb

stalemate (third-person singular simple present stalemates, present participle stalemating, simple past and past participle stalemated)

1. (chess, transitive) To bring about a state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves.
2. (transitive, figuratively) To bring about a stalemate, in which no advance in an argument is achieved.
   • 29 February 2012, Aidan Foster-Carter, BBC News North Korea: The denuclearisation dance resumes[1]

     The North Korean nuclear issue, stalemated for the past three years, is now back in play again - not before time.

See also

• check

Anagrams

• metalates

English

Etymology

From Middle English chekmat, from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic ???? ?????? (š?h m?ta), from Persian ??? ???? (šâh mât, “the king [is] dead”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t???kme?t/
• Rhymes: -e?t

Interjection

checkmate

1. (chess) Word called out by the victor when making a move that wins the game.
2. (by extension) Said when one has placed a person in a losing situation with no escape.

Alternative forms

• check and mate

Synonyms

• (chess): mate

Translations

Noun

checkmate (countable and uncountable, plural checkmates)

1. The conclusive victory in a game of chess that occurs when an opponent's king is threatened with unavoidable capture.
2. (figuratively, by extension) Any losing situation with no escape; utter defeat.

Related terms

• stalemate

Translations

Verb

checkmate (third-person singular simple present checkmates, present participle checkmating, simple past and past participle checkmated)

1. (transitive, chess) To put the king of an opponent into checkmate.

2. (transitive, by extension) To place in a losing situation that has no escape.

Translations

References