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  1. stalemate love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A situation in which further action is blocked; a deadlock.
  2. n. A drawing position in chess in which the king, although not in check, can move only into check and no other piece can move.
  3. v. To bring into a stalemate.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. In chess, a position in which a player, having to move in his turn, and his king not being in check, has no move available with any piece: in such a case the game is drawn; figuratively, any position in which no action can be taken.
  2. In chess, to subject to a stalemate: usually said of one's self, not of one's adversary: as, white is stalemated.
  3. To bring to a standstill; nonplus.

Wiktionary

  1. n. chess The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw.
  2. n. Any situation that has no obvious possible movement, but does not involve any personal loss.
  3. v. chess, transitive To bring about a state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves.
  4. v. transitive, figuratively To bring about a stalemate, in which no advance in an argument is achieved.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Chess) The position of the king when he can not move without being placed in check and there is no other piece which can be moved.
  2. v. (Chess) To subject to a stalemate; hence, to bring to a stand.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. subject to a stalemate
  2. n. drawing position in chess: any of a player's possible moves would place his king in check
  3. n. a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible

Etymologies

  1. stale + mate "checkmate" (Wiktionary)
  2. Obsolete stale (from Middle English, probably from Anglo-Norman estale, fixed position, from Old French estal; see stale1) + mate2. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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  • seanahan In chess, when one player is unable to move any pieces, the game is drawn. Historically, the result of this has been different. At various times it has been a win for the stalemater, a win for the stalemated, an illegal move, a half-win for the stalemater, and a lost turn for the stalemated. Feb 20, 2007

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‘stalemate’ has been looked up 2600 times, loved by 1 person, added to 23 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 11.