/ˈsteɪlmeɪt/
stale·mate
BrE /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/
NAmE /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/
[U, C, usually singular]
a disagreement or a situation in a competition in which neither side is able to win or make any progress
SYN impasse
The talks ended in (a) stalemate.
[U, sing.] (in chess )
a situation in which a player cannot successfully move any of their pieces and the game ends without a winner
➡ compare checkmate (1)