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Recap: claim it or dodge it
Draws cut both ways.
Five ways to draw: stalemate, insufficient material, threefold repetition, the fifty-move rule, and agreement. The two that decide real games are stalemate (never trap a lone king with no check when you're winning) and perpetual check (when you're losing, repeat checks the enemy king can't escape, and claim the draw).
The instinct for both — spotting a stalemate before you blunder it, and finding a saving perpetual — comes from playing real games. Put it to work against a live opponent.
- Winning: leave the king a square; don't get checked forever.
- Losing: hunt for stalemate tricks or a perpetual check.
- A draw is half a point — sometimes the best result available.