The Last Move in Chess

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How does a chess game end?

A chess game ends in a win or a draw. You win by checkmate, or when the other player resigns. With a clock, a player who runs out of time usually loses. A draw comes from agreement, stalemate or one of a few other rules.

A win scores one point, a draw half a point each and a loss nothing. The game ends as soon as checkmate, stalemate or a resignation happens, so nobody ever captures a king.

Check is the only one of these five that doesn’t end the game.

Term	Meaning
Check	A king is under attack, so its player must respond.
Checkmate	A king is in check with no legal way out.
Stalemate	The player to move has no legal move, but that player’s king isn’t in check.
Draw	The game ends without a winner.
Resigning	A player concedes the game.

Checkmate or stalemate?

Black has no legal move on either board. On the left, that’s checkmate and White wins. On the right, it’s stalemate and the game is a draw. When you’re winning, leave your opponent a legal move unless your move is checkmate.

01 Check

Field	Text
Identify by	A piece attacking a king, or a + written after the move.
What	Check means the king is attacked by an enemy piece.
So what	You must get out of check at once: move the king, block the attack or capture the attacker. No move may leave your own king in check.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Result	The game goes on
Decided by	The position after the move

Confused with: Checkmate

Check means the king is attacked. Checkmate means there is no legal way to stop the attack.

02 Checkmate

Field	Text
Identify by	The king in check, with no legal move that gets out.
What	Checkmate is check with no legal way out. None of the three ways out of check works.
So what	Checkmate ends the game at once. The player who gave checkmate wins, and # after the move records it.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Result	A win
Decided by	The checkmating move

Confused with: Stalemate

Checkmate requires the king to be in check. In stalemate, the king isn’t in check, but its player has no legal move.

03 Stalemate

Field	Text
Identify by	Your turn, your king not in check and no legal move.
What	Stalemate is a position where the player to move has no legal move and isn’t in check.
So what	Stalemate makes the game a draw, however many pieces the other side has.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Result	A draw
Decided by	The position

Confused with: Any draw

Stalemate is one kind of draw. Not every draw is a stalemate.

04 Draw

Field	Text
Identify by	A draw offer after a move, or the same position for the third time.
What	A draw is a game that ends without a winner. A draw comes from agreement, stalemate, a position where nobody can checkmate, or a claim after repetition or fifty moves each without a pawn move or capture.
So what	The same position three times lets the player to move claim a draw. Under FIDE rules, five times ends the game in a draw.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Result	Half a point each
Decided by	The rules or both players

Confused with: A handshake

A handshake alone doesn’t state the result. One player may take it as a draw and the other as a resignation, so say the result in words.

05 Resigning

Field	Text
Identify by	“I resign” said aloud, or a king tipped over.
What	Resigning means giving up the game, which ends at once.
So what	The other player wins when you resign. Under FIDE rules, if the other player couldn’t possibly checkmate, it’s a draw instead.

Field marks

Field	Short answer
Result	A loss, usually
Decided by	The player resigning

Confused with: Stopping the clock

Stopping both clocks doesn’t necessarily mean a player has resigned. Ask before you treat the game as over.

How do you finish politely?

A few habits prevent confusion at the end.

Habit	Why
Touch only the intended piece	Touch your own piece and you must move it. Touch an opponent’s piece and you must take it, if you can.
Say “I adjust” first	On your turn, say it before you straighten a piece, so your opponent knows you aren’t moving it.
Offer a draw after moving	Make your move, offer the draw, then press your clock if you have one. The offer stands until your opponent accepts, says no or touches a piece.
Resign clearly	Say “I resign” or tip over your king, so the result is clear.
Shake hands before and after	A handshake shows respect. Words make the result clear.
Put the pieces back	Return each piece to its starting square.

After the handshake, share your thoughts about the game, whatever the result.

Sources

These public sources were checked on 22 October 2026.

Source	Date	Address
FIDE, Laws of Chess	January 2023	handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023
US Chess, Official Rules of Chess, 7th edition (free chapters)	January 2026	new.uschess.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/us-chess-rule-book-online-2026.pdf
FIDE, Curriculum: Chess for Refugees	October 2023	fide.com/docs/presentations/Curriculum%20Chess%20for%20Refugees.pdf
US Chess, Guide to Scholastic Chess, 11th edition	June 2021	new.uschess.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/11th-edition-guide-to-scholastic-chess-6-29-21.pdf