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In chess and chess variants, a bare king (or lone king) is a king whose player has no other remaining pieces (i.e. all the player's other pieces have been captured).

Effect on the game

Historical

In some old versions of chess, such as "baring chess"^[1]^[2] and shatranj,^[3] leaving the opponent with a bare king was one way of winning the game (see Checkmate § History). The relative weakness of the pieces in shatranj may have made this form of a win desirable. A possible exception to the bare king rule was if the king immediately after being bared was able to recapture, leaving the opponent with a bare king as well. This situation, called a "Medinese victory" (because in Medina, it was still a win for the player first baring the opposing king), was often considered a draw.^[4]

Contemporary

Under modern rules, a player with a bare king does not automatically lose and may continue playing. A bare king can never give check, however, and can therefore never deliver a checkmate or win the game. A bare king can in some situations play to a draw, such as by stalemate, capturing the opponent's pieces to reduce his advantage to an unwinnable one or if the opponent of a bare king oversteps the time limit.^[5] If both players are left with a bare king, the game is immediately drawn. Similarly, if one player has only a king and either a bishop or a knight while the opponent has a bare king, the game is immediately drawn.^[6]^[7]

References

^ Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 29. bare king.
^ Pritchard (2007), p. 81. Baring the king.
^ "Shatranj". The Chess Variant Pages.
^ Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 256. Medinese victory.
^ 6.10 in FIDE's Laws of Chess states that overstepping the time limit results in a loss, "However, the game is drawn, if the position is such that the opponent cannot checkmate the player's king by any possible series of legal moves, even with the most unskilled counterplay."
^ 1.3 in FIDE's Laws of Chess states, "If the position is such that neither player can possibly checkmate, the game is drawn."
^ Luca, Giovanni Di (2020-12-15). "Here's Why It's Impossible To Checkmate With 1 Bishop". Chess Pulse. Retrieved 2022-03-25.