5 Ways Chess Can End in a Draw (and One You Don’t Know About!)
I will never forget the time a guy nearly flipped over a table at a tournament because his opponent claimed a draw by “timeout vs. insufficient material.” This raging clown was fairly new to tournament chess, and he thought he was hot stuff. He was a dominant “coffeehouse” player who was a real jerk and brought his attitude and narcissism to tournament play. Surprisingly, “timeout vs. insufficient material” is one of six ways chess can end in a draw and most people don’t even know about it!
A chess game can end in a draw in six ways; player agreement, insufficient material, stalemate, threefold repetition, timeout versus insufficient material, and the 50-move rule. The six ways to draw are also listed in likelihood of occurrence with agreement being fairly common, and the 50-move rule being somewhat rare.
For whatever it’s worth, the raging jerk did not know the rules and stormed out of the tournament claiming that everyone, including the tournament director, was cheating. He was a real clown who did nothing but make a fool of himself. Don’t be like that guy! Read on to have each of the methods explained in greater detail.
Draw by Agreement
A draw by agreement can occur when players reach a position that is a known draw. A “known” draw will lead to one of the other draw types, like stalemate or insufficient material. The following position is a draw, regardless of whose move it is. Therefore, experienced players would just shake hands at this point and it would be a draw by agreement. However, if this position were played out, it would lead either to stalemate or a draw by insufficient material if white were to capture the black pawn. If you don’t understand why it’s a draw regardless of whose move it is, try to set it up on a board and play it out (note: black is queening his pawn on h1, not h8).
Another flavor of draw by agreement is the so-called grandmaster draw. It happens often in tournaments when two players (often from the same country) will square off and play some moves and then agree to a draw. This is often done strategically to ensure better pairings in future rounds for both players, as well as preserve mental and physical stamina for future rounds. It’s also one of the reasons Bobby Fischer got so irritated with organized chess. When players would play pre-planned openings that would lead to a draw he felt it was an affront to the spirit of the game and it led him to create Fischer Random Chess.
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding grandmasters draws! But that drama is a bit outside the scope of this topic.
Draw by Insufficient Material
This one is pretty straightforward. If I cannot checkmate you because I don’t have the artillery, and you cannot checkmate me for the same reason, the game automatically ends in a draw.
Draw by Stalemate
A checkmate is how one achieves victory in chess. It’s a situation where the king is in check and has no legal moves in response (he cannot move to safety, capture the checking piece, or block the checking piece). A stalemate is a draw whereby the king is not in check, and the player no legal moves. Even though it sounds similar, it’s two very different scenarios! The following is a known drawn position because it will end in stalemate.
Black still has to play correctly, and believe it or not, there’s plenty of chances for him to misstep and blow it! However, with correct play, the game ends in stalemate. This final position, black is not in check and has no legal moves. The game is a draw.
Draw by Threefold Repetition
Draw by threefold repetition is a situation where the exact same position occurs three times in a chess game. Often times they appear three times in a row, but it does not necessarily have to! The same position can occur on move 15, 25, and 35 and a player can still claim a draw by threefold repetition. The most famous game to draw by threefold repetition was Fischer vs. Petrosian in 1971. The reason it was significant was the same position occurred three times, but not consecutively. Fischer, who was in a tough spot, claimed a draw by threefold repetition, the first time he had done so in his entire career! The position repeated three times on moves 30, 32, and 34.
There is also variation of draw by threefold repetition called “perpetual check.” Perpetual check is not technically a draw in and of itself. It simply means that by constantly checking the king, you can force threefold repetition.
Draw by Timeout versus Insufficient Material
This situation, which we opened this article by telling a story about an obnoxious jerk who embarrassed himself by not knowing the rules, does not occur often. But it is one you need to be aware of. Per the official rules of chess (both tournament and most online sites), a situation can occur where a person’s clock runs out, but the game ends in a draw rather than a loss. The reason is because the person who ran out of time, had the ability to checkmate her opponent but her opponent did not have that same ability. In this scenario, the game ends in a draw.
I have actually seen the following position in a tournament before. The person playing white ran out of time. And even though they ran out of time, since their opponent did not have “mating material on the board” the game ends in a draw.
This rule is in place to preserve the spirit of the game. It prevents players who have more time on their clock, even though they’re in a lost position, from moving fast to try to make the other person’s clock run out. They’re trying to win on a technicality instead of any actual ability. This can be a controversial rule, especially if you’re a raging clown on the receiving end of it. However the rule exists to prevent abusing the clock in an unfair way.
Draw by 50-Move Rule
This one is uncommon as well. And I only placed it last because draw by timeout versus insufficient material occurs with a bit more frequency in online games. The 50-move rule allows a player to claim a draw if there have been no captures, and no pawn moves in 50 moves. This is also a rule to prevent someone from just being a troll and dancing around without actually trying to win the game or conceding. However, it can actually pop up in serious play! If you’d like to click through all 114 moves of this game, feel free! The last capture or pawn move occurs on move 63.
Go Forth and Win!
Now, armed with your new knowledge, go out there and win! Aim for winning, learn from your losses, and be aware of the draws!
