stalemate

stale +‎ mate

• IPA^(key): /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/

stalemate (countable and uncountable, plural stalemates)

1. (chess) The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw.
2. (by extension) Any situation that has no obvious possible movement, but involves no personal loss.
   • 2020 September 8, Jeffrey Gettleman, “Shots Fired Along India-China Border for First Time in Years”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     Indian military analysts said the situation was heading into a dangerous stalemate. Neither side wants to start a war. But neither side wants to back down either.

3. Any kind of match in which neither contestant laid claim to victory; a draw.

stalemate (third-person singular simple present stalemates, present participle stalemating, simple past and past participle stalemated)

1. (chess, transitive) To bring about a state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves.
2. (transitive, figuratively) To bring about a stalemate, in which no advance in an argument is achieved.
   • 2012 February 29, Aidan Foster-Carter, “North Korea: The denuclearisation dance resumes”, in BBC News‎:

     The North Korean nuclear issue, stalemated for the past three years, is now back in play again—not before time.

   • 2024 March 18, Dan Sabbagh, “Volkov attack signals Russia’s return to cold war-era spying in Europe”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     But with the war also still largely stalemated, other theatres of conflict have become more important. In Russia’s case, that includes the secret domain.

• check, checkmate

• metalates