From Stalemate to Checkmate

Some Chess games/variants have Stalemate as a win and some as a draw. The following is a possibility to bring/link the two together.

© Copyright by G. Nicholls 2010

Under these rules if a Stalemate occurs in a Chess game/variant then this is not a win but the player who has delivered Stalemate then has a set time in which to convert this drawn position into Checkmate and a win. The standard suggested time is five minutes (and no more than ten minutes) and is called the conversion period. The following rules apply:

1. The player who has delivered Stalemate can now make an unrestricted number of moves by his pieces during the conversion period but must maintain a Stalemate position throughout the conversion period until and unless a Checkmate move occurs.

2. Following on from 1. above the player who has been Stalemated does not (and must not be able to) make a move during the conversion period.

3. If the player who has delivered Stalemate succeeds in Checking the player who has been Stalemated whilst maintaining a Stalemate position up to a Checkmate move then this will be declared a win by Checkmate.

4. If the player who has delivered Stalemate does not succeed in Checking the player who has been Stalemated whilst maintaining a Stalemate position up to a Checkmate move then the game is declared a draw by Stalemate. A few simple examples should make the working of the rules clear. I have used Western Chess as probably more people will be familiar with this game though the rule is only applicable to Chinese Chess type games in the games I have written:

Black to play is in Stalemate. This sort of position sometimes occurs as a blunder often by beginners but under the conversion rules White can simply play e.g. Queen to G7 to convert with a Check to a win by Checkmate.

Black to play is in Stalemate. This is a well known drawn endgame position and under the conversion rules White cannot convert this position with a Check to a Checkmate position whilst maintaining a Stalemate position and so the game is still a draw by Stalemate.

Black to play is in Stalemate with a type of position which occurs where White is trying to stop the Black pawn from promoting. White can convert to the win however by first playing Queen to C2 which maintains a Stalemate position and then Queen to C1 which converts with a Check to a Checkmate position and a win. White could not, for example, first play Queen to A3 as this is not a Stalemate position.

Notes:

If the player attempting to convert to Checkmate had less time on his clock than the time allowed under this rule then this lesser time would be the time allowed to make the attempt.

Of the games I have written only Wing, RiverQi, Encounter, Touchpaper and QiPlacements can apply this rule and either player can insist on the rule but must do so at the beginning of the game or the rule is not applied.

The rule is called the Conversion from Stalemate to Checkmate rule.