Stalemate

v. bring into a stalemate (Chess); bring to a standstill

n. situation in which neither player can move (Chess); deadlock, standstill, draw

Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move has no legal moves but is not in check. Stalemate ends the game, with the result a draw. Stalemate is often sought after during the endgame by a player with vastly outnumbered pieces to avoid an outright loss. In certain chess variants, such as suicide chess, stalemate is not necessarily a draw. Depending on the variant, stalemate can be a win for either the player with fewer pieces (a draw results if the players have the same number of pieces) or for the stalemated player. Stalemate has become a widely used metaphor for other situations where there is a conflict or contest between two parties, such as war or political negotiations, and neither side is able to achieve victory, resulting in what is also called a dead heat, standoff, or deadlock. Unlike in chess, this usage allows for the situation to be a temporary one and thus ultimately resolved, even if it seems currently intractable.
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Noun
1. a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible; "reached an impasse on the negotiations"
(synonym) deadlock, dead end, impasse, standstill
(hypernym) situation
2. drawing position in chess: any of a player's possible moves would place his king in check
(hypernym) draw, standoff, tie
Verb
1. subject to a stalemate
(hypernym) move, go
(classification) chess, chess game

(v. t.)
To subject to a stalemate; hence, to bring to a stand.
  

(n.)
The position of the king when he can not move without being placed on check and there is no other piece which can be moved.
  

Synonyms and related words:
Tweedledum and Tweedledee, arrest, bell, blind alley, block, box, brake, bring to, bring up short, check, checkmate, corner, cul-de-sac, cut short, cutoff, dam, dead end, dead heat, dead stop, dead-end street, deadlock, draw, draw rein, end, endgame, ending, even break, extremity, fair shake, final whistle, freeze, full stop, grinding halt, gun, halt, hole, impasse, knotted score, lockout, mate, neck-and-neck race, photo finish, pull up, put paid to, sit-down strike, stall, stand, stand-off, standoff, standstill, stay, stem, stem the tide, stop, stop cold, stop dead, stop short, stoppage, strike, the same, tie, walkout, work stoppage