stalemated
stalemated — noun
1. In chess, the position at the end of a game when the player whose turn it is to
In chess, the position at the end of a game when the player whose turn it is to move has no legal move available, but their king is not under direct attack — the rules then declare the game a draw.
In the school chess tournament, Diego escaped a certain loss by forcing a stalemate against the defending champion.
forcing a stalemate — last-resort drawing strategy
A stalemate occurs when the player whose turn it is cannot move any piece without putting their king in check.
occurs when — definitional structure
Many beginners confuse stalemate with checkmate, but the two endgame results are fundamentally different.
After forty moves on the board, the game reached a stalemate and both players agreed to share the point.
Hassan's coach taught him several trick positions that produce a stalemate even when one player has far fewer pieces.
- checkmate
the winning position where the king IS under attack and cannot escape
用法筆記
Only used in chess. The crucial difference from checkmate: in stalemate the king is NOT in check and the result is a draw, not a win for the opposing player.
常見錯誤
2. A situation in a dispute, negotiation, or competition where neither side can mak
A situation in a dispute, negotiation, or competition where neither side can make any progress or gain an advantage, because both are unwilling or unable to change their position.
The union and factory management reached a stalemate after six months of salary negotiations.
reach a stalemate — frequent collocation for disputes
With both political parties refusing to give ground, the budget talks ended in a stalemate.
ended in a stalemate — resultative pattern
Diplomatic efforts between the two countries have been at a stalemate for nearly a year.
The court case between the two construction firms hit a stalemate over who should pay for the damaged roof.
Chioma proposed a compromise to break the stalemate, and both sides accepted her plan.
- breakthrough
a sudden advance that ends the deadlock
- resolution
a final decision or solution that ends the dispute
用法筆記
Common with verbs such as reach, end in, be at, hit, and break. The subject is typically a dispute, negotiation, or contest between two roughly equal sides.
常見錯誤
stalemated — verb
1. To bring a discussion, process, or conflict to a point where no further progress
To bring a discussion, process, or conflict to a point where no further progress can be made, usually because neither side will change their demands or position.
The peace talks were stalemated by the government's refusal to discuss land ownership rights.
passive: were stalemated by [obstacle]
Opposition members repeatedly stalemated the education bill by demanding over a hundred minor amendments.
active transitive: stalemated + direct object
Efforts to rebuild the harbour were stalemated by disagreements between the port authority and the city council.
The planning committee remained stalemated all morning over the location of the new train station.
A series of unexpected legal objections stalemated the merger between the two pharmaceutical companies.
文法句型
be stalemated by [obstacle]
stalemate + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently occurs in the past-participle form (stalemated) used adjectivally. The active form (X stalemates Y) is less common but grammatically correct. Distinguish from noun sense 2: the verb focuses on the action that creates the deadlock, while the noun describes the resulting situation.