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While draws are common, they are rarely the direct result of stalemate. The term "stalemate" is sometimes used incorrectly as a generic term for a draw in chess. Chess writers note that this usage is a misnomer because, unlike in chess, the situation is often a temporary one that is ultimately resolved, even if it seems currently intractable. 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 an impasse, a deadlock, or a Mexican standoff. The first recorded use in a figurative sense is in 1885. Stale is probably derived from Anglo-French estale meaning "standstill", a cognate of "stand" and "stall", both ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sta. It is a compounding of Middle English stale and mate (meaning checkmate). The first recorded use of stalemate is from 1765. Stalemate rules vary in other games of the chess family. Before this standardization, its treatment varied widely, including being deemed a win for the stalemating player, a half-win for that player, or a loss for that player not being permitted and resulting in the stalemated player missing a turn. The outcome of a stalemate was standardized as a draw in the 19th century. Stalemate is also a common theme in endgame studies and other chess problems. In more complex positions, stalemate is much rarer, usually taking the form of a swindle that succeeds only if the superior side is inattentive. During the endgame, stalemate is a resource that can enable the player with the inferior position to draw the game rather than lose.

Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and has no legal move. Black is not in check and has no legal move since every square the king might move to is attacked by White.