Draw

A draw is a final result in which neither player wins or loses. Under the usual scoring system, each player receives half a point and the result is written ½-½, although an event may use a different point system.

Main ways a game becomes drawn

• Stalemate: the player to move has no legal move and the king is not under attack.
• Dead position: no legal sequence can produce checkmate for either side. Insufficient material, when the remaining pieces cannot construct a mate, is a common cause.
• Draw by agreement: both players accept ending the game without a winner.
• A correct claim when the same position appears for the third time or after 50 moves by each player without a pawn move or capture.
• An automatic ending after five appearances of the same position or 75 moves by each player without a pawn move or capture.
• Time expiration when the opponent could not checkmate through any legal sequence.

Each cause has its own conditions. Some end the game as soon as they occur, while others require a claim or acceptance. A draw offer is therefore not yet the result: play continues until the opponent accepts it or another ending condition occurs.