What is the fifty-move rule in chess?
If 50 moves by each player pass with no capture and no pawn move, the game is a draw. Trindo declares it automatically after 100 such half-moves.
The fifty-move rule stops a game with no progress from running forever. A “move” here means one turn by each player, so fifty moves is one hundred half-moves in total.
What resets the count
- Any capture.
- Any pawn move, because a pawn can never move backwards.
Every other move, such as a knight hop or a rook shuffle, adds to the count. When it reaches fifty moves each with neither reset happening, the game is drawn.
In Trindo
There is no need to claim it. The game ends by itself with the result “Fifty-move rule”. The rule rarely matters unless a won endgame drifts, which is why knowing basic checkmates, such as the endings that can’t be won at all, saves you moves.
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