Stalemate To Whose Favor?

Submitted by Grakovsky on Mon, 03/30/2009 at 5:53pm.

The question stated in the title seems a bit strange, doesn't it?

Everybody nowadays knows that stalemate is an equal ending from which no side gains or loses. A half point to me, a half point to you.

And here we are asked: "to whose favor?". To nobody's!

Below is an endgame position that was reached in a game played in Moscow 1961, the chess players being one of the strongest that the Soviet Union had at the time - grandmaster David Bronstein (white pieces) against grandmaster Ratmir Kholmov.

As shown in the diagram, a draw is forced after 52. Rc2+ Kb3 53. Rc3+ Kb2 54. Rc2+ or the also more aggressive line of cleaning the board as fast as possible - 52. Rb7 a2 53. Rxb5+ Ka1 54. Ra5 Kb2 55. Rxa2+.

» posted in Grakovsky's Blog

| 412 reads | 2 comments

Comments:

by uritbon - 7 months ago
tel aviv Israel

Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 1000

well, the stalemate is to the favor of the side who is thinking he wants a stalemate (David Bronsteins poor opponent I suppose), in a neutral situation with two computer players a stalemate is simply the best result any side could gain. makes your mind boggle when thinking about it...

by bobbereight - 7 months ago
Madison, WI United States

Member Since: Nov 2008
Member Points: 165

"Everybody nowadays knows that stalemate is an equal ending from which no side gains or loses. A half point to me, a half point to you."

Umm... I have a pet peeve when people call every type of draw a stalemate... I know your game shows a stalemate, but I have to point this out.

What you said is true... sorry... it's hard to explain a pet peeve. People will see the correct statement "a stalemate is an equal ending," and think "an equal ending is a stalemate." The latter is false.

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