Explanation

Sometimes a stalemate can be forced by sacrificing the last piece that can move. This tactical solution to force a stalemate is called "Desperado".

Examples

White is three pawns down in the rook endgame, and the situation looks hopeless. However, Black's last move hxg2 was a blunder. White's king is now without any moves, and White can sacrifice the rook with the desperado 1.Rxa3+! The rook gives check and attacks the rook on a4, therefore Black is forced to recapture with 1...Rxa3. White has no legal moves - stalemate.

Sometimes you have to play the desperado on the right square, so that the recapturing piece helps with stalemating the king, as in the following example:

Black is two pawns down in the queen endgame and looks lost. However, White's last move was a mistake, allowing the desperado 1...Qg3+! The queen gives check and attacks the queen on d6, therefore White's recapture is forced: 2.Qxg3. The queen on g3 now takes away all the squares of the king in the corner - stalemate.

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