Stalemate

Stalemate was a term in chess which meant the game had ended in a draw.

In a game between Elska Blayes and V23, Kaston Iago urged Blayes to resign due to an inevitable checkmate but V23 told her she could have forced a stalemate. (AUDIO: Storm Mine)

The word had also been absorbed into the English language to mean a situation where neither party could win. It was used in this context on a number of occasions by the Doctor, (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan, The Tenth Planet, Destiny of the Daleks) as well as the Sontaran Stor, (TV: The Invasion of Time) Davros, (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) the Daleks, (TV: Victory of the Daleks) and Sil the Mentor. (TV: Vengeance on Varos)

When the endgame was reached in the game of four dimensional chess played between the Mandarin and the Entity, the Mandarin realised he was losing so instead played into a stalemate — a new concept to him. (PROSE: Games ^[+]Loading...{"page":"22","1":"Games (short story)"})