DD Game: No Legal Move—Checkmate or Stalemate?

Two three-piece chess positions have no legal move for Black, but different results. Ask Saraswati Maa for the discernment to check the missing condition.

“The king cannot go anywhere.” That observation does not, on its own, tell a chess learner who has won. DD Game readers can test the difference with two tiny positions. In both, it is Black's turn and there are no pieces beyond those named.

Position A: is the king under attack?

Black has a king on a8. White has a king on c6 and a queen on c7.

The black king has three neighbouring squares on the board: a7, b7 and b8. The queen attacks all three. The king therefore has no legal move. However, the queen does not attack a8, and the white king is too far away to attack it.

The result is stalemate: Black has no legal move and is not in check. Under the FIDE Laws of Chess, article 5.2.1, that is a draw.

Position B: what changes when the queen is on b7?

Keep Black's king on a8 and White's king on c6. Place White's queen on b7 instead of c7.

Now the queen attacks a8 diagonally. It also controls a7 and b8. Capturing the queen on b7 would put the black king next to the white king's attack: White's king on c6 protects b7. Again, Black has no legal move—but this time the king is in check.

This is checkmate, a win for White under article 5.1.1.

Which question separated the results?

Not “Can Black move?” The answer was no in both positions. The separating question was “Is Black's king currently attacked?”

Bring the unanswered question—whether the king is attacked—to Saraswati Maa's offering area. Take darshan, then offer the displayed books, white flowers, fruits, kheer and deepak together as you ask to recognise every condition needed for the result.

Saraswati Maa, grant me discernment to check every condition a conclusion needs. Help me notice the question that is still unanswered, even when one familiar fact already seems decisive.

Return to the boards and explain them without using “stuck” as a result. Say “no legal move and no check” for A, and “no legal move while in check” for B. That extra condition carries the difference between a draw and a win.