What does checkmate mean?

pjotr

In chess, it is when someone's king happens to be in check at the moment, yet is unable to move to any other square, either because a member of his own team is in an adjacent square, or there are no spaces to move to, for example, if you are in a corner. A checkmate signals the end of the game. A stalemate however, is when your king is not in check, however, any move on your part would put your king in check, which is illegal. Hence, the game would be a draw. Jan 31 06, 7:41 PM

mementoflash

Checkmate (frequently shortened to mate) is a situation in chess (and in other boardgames of the chaturanga family) in which one player's king is under attack and there is no way to meet that threat; it is a check from which there is no escape. The king is never actually captured—the game ends as soon as the king is checkmated. A player who is checkmated loses the game. Delivering checkmate is the ultimate goal in chess (although not all games end in checkmate—often a player resigns before checkmate is administered, or the game may end in a draw in several ways). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkmate Jan 31 06, 9:17 PM

crisw

It also comes from the Arabic "shah mat"- the king is dead- if you are looking for literal meaning. Feb 01 06, 12:01 AM

minuscule_

Thank you crisw, mementoflash and pjotr. Pawn to king 4. Feb 01 06, 4:56 PM