Chess Draws

Some games have no winner. According to the rules of chess, one type of position declared to be a draw is stalemate. Here are some others.

A player hopelessly behind in material can sometimes save the game by checking on every move, where the opponent has no way to stop the checks. In the diagram, Black to move would win easily, but White to move checks with the Queen on c6, d5, or e4. Black can only intersect the line of the attack by playing Qb7.

White then checks safely on the eighth rank, after which Black can only play Qb8 -- other moves would lose the Queen. White checks again on the same square used the first time -- c6, d5, or e4 -- and declares a draw by perpetual check.

The example in the diagram is from Howard Staunton's Chess-Player's Handbook, written in the 19th century..