Castling, Stalemate, and Draw Basics

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Castling has a few important safety rules, and not every game ends with checkmate — some endings are draws.

Why This Matters

Castling is a special king move: the king moves two squares toward a rook, then that rook hops over it.
You may not castle out of check, through check, or into check, and pieces between the king and rook must be gone.
Some games are drawn: stalemate is the famous one, but insufficient material, threefold repetition, and the 50-move rule matter too.

Castle only when the king and rook have not moved, the path is clear, and the king does not castle through danger.
Tell stalemate apart from checkmate.
Use simple draw words like stalemate, insufficient material, threefold repetition, and 50-move rule.

Step 0 of 3

Try to play move 1:(Expected idea from lesson line)

Find the move yourself — the answer stays hidden until you solve it or reveal it.

Practice 1 of 4

White to move. Castle kingside.

Practice 2 of 4

Black to move. Castle queenside.

Practice 3 of 4

Find the move that stalemates Black right away.

Practice 4 of 4

From the same setup, find the move that is checkmate instead of stalemate.

Try castling on both sides. White may not castle kingside through the bishop's attack, but queenside castling is still legal.

Print one board per step to review the full sequence offline.