Checkmate

::For other uses of the word, see Checkmate (disambiguation).

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Checkmate (frequently shortened to mate) is a situation in chess (and in other boardgames of the chaturanga family) in which one player's king is under attack and there is no way to meet that threat; it is a check from which there is no escape. The king is never actually captured—the game ends as soon as the king is checkmated. A player who is checkmated loses the game. Delivering checkmate is the ultimate goal in chess (although not all games end in checkmate—often a player resigns before checkmate is administered, or the game may end in a draw in several ways).

Related Topics:
Chess - Boardgame - Chaturanga - King - Check - Draw

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The term is an alteration or Hobson-Jobson of the Persian phrase "Shah Mat" which means, literally, "the King is ambushed."

Related Topics:
Hobson-Jobson - Persian

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If a king is under attack but the threat can be met (by capturing the checking piece, moving the king to an unattacked square, or interposing a piece between the king and the checking piece (unless the checking piece is a knight)), then the king is said to be in check. If a player is not in check but has no legal move (that is, no move that does not allow the king to be captured), the result of the game is stalemate.

Related Topics:
Check - Stalemate

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