Draws

I don’t really understand how draws work. I set up a situation that seems like it would be CM but the game ends in a draw.

It says draw, but perhaps it’s a stalemate. Can you look at my last games? The last game I played just minutes ago ended in a draw/stalemate and I’m not sure why.

[Site "Chess.com iPhone"]
[Date "01/10/2021 05:55PM"]
[FEN rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1]
[White "MAV12305"]
[Black "JustDave9"]
[Result "Game drawn by stalemate"]
[WhiteElo "392"]
[BlackElo "451"]
[Termination "Game drawn by stalemate"]

1.e4 {10:00} e5 {9:58} 2.Nf3 {9:57} Nc6 {9:56} 3.Nc3 {9:55} d6 {9:52} 4.d4 {9:54} Bg4 {9:46} 5.Nxe5 {9:46} dxe5 {9:44} 6.f3 {9:33} Bh5 {9:41} 7.g4 {9:19} Bg6 {9:36} 8.f4 {9:07} Nxd4 {9:33} 9.fxe5 {9:05} Bxe4 {9:27} 10.Nxe4 {9:01} Bb4+ {9:20} 11.c3 {8:57} Ba5 {9:17} 12.Qxd4 {8:50} Qxd4 {9:15} 13.e6 {8:32} Qxe4+ {9:12} 14.Be2 {8:28} fxe6 {9:07} 15.Rf1 {8:16} Nf6 {9:00} 16.g5 {8:15} Ng4 {8:56} 17.b4 {8:01} Nxh2 {8:54} 18.Rf4 {7:55} Qh1+ {8:44} 19.Bf1 {7:51} Nxf1 {8:40} 20.Rxf1 {7:49} Qg2 {8:33} 21.Bd2 {7:38} Rf8 {8:30} 22.O-O-O {7:17} Rxf1 {8:24} 23.bxa5 {7:09} Rxd1+ {8:20} 24.Kxd1 {7:07} Qg1+ {8:18} 25.Be1 {6:59} Rd8+ {8:16} 26.Ke2 {6:55} Rd5 {8:03} 27.c4 {6:47} Re5+ {8:02} 28.Kd3 {6:44} Qxe1 {7:59} 29.Kd4 {6:42} Qe4+ {7:54} 30.Kc3 {6:40} Qe3+ {7:47} 31.Kb4 {6:36} Qd2+ {7:38} 32.Kb3 {6:12} Rxa5 {7:35} 33.a4 {6:06} b5 {7:31} 34.axb5 {6:00} c5 {7:19} 35.g6 {5:57} hxg6 {7:17} 36.b6 {5:53} axb6 {7:14} {Game drawn by stalemate}

Thanks.

I’m still unclear. If the opponent cannot move because it would put them in CM, isn’t that just CM?

You can't put yourself into check, that is an illegal move.

There are 3 ways for the game to end in a draw.
1/ The players agree to a draw.
2/ Stalemate, where one player has to move but has no legal moves the can make (ie. no piece other than the king can move and if the king moves they would have to move into check).
3/ Insufficient resources to make a checkmate by either player, you can't make a checkmate with a king and a bishop or knight, so once players are down to that or less it's a draw because no one can checkmate.

Think of it this way,there is no way the king can put himself in check but he has no legal move,so it would just be a never ending game with the opponent deciding on a non existing move...

and to let it have a ending the players will soon agree to a tie

And 50 move rule(50 moves without taking a piece off the board) and 3 move repetition(same board setup for 3 moves that does not need to be together)

Forgot about 2 more rules but the 3 is well explained

I'll add them to the list for the 5 (I don't think there are any more) for a future copy/paste when the same question is asked again

 

To clarify, it's positions and doesn't really matter about the moves so much. Sometimes moves will repeat but that isn't always the case.

Checkmate is checkmate because it needs to happen with check. If the king is only trapped with nowhere to go, but not checked or directly attacked, then it is a situation where nothing else can happen and neither side can make a move, so the game ends in a draw.