The Art of Stalemate in Endgames

This endgame position looks completely lost for White but contains one of chess's most beautiful

drawing secrets. White faces Black's dangerous h7 pawn racing toward promotion while trying to

push their own a5 pawn, and most players would panic here. The brilliant solution

starts with Kc8, not the obvious pawn advance. This move demonstrates the power of shouldering,

where White's king blocks Black's king from accessing critical squares on the queenside. It's like building

an invisible wall that Black cannot cross. Here's the mind-bending part.

White actually allows Black to promote their h7 pawn while setting up a perfect stalemate trap.

When Black gets their new queen and thinks they're winning, they suddenly realize