👉 A checkmate in chess refers to a situation where one player has won by checking, effectively ending the game before it could be played again. This can happen when a player's king is captured or trapped on a critical piece of the board and cannot be moved away from its position. The other player then wins the game by attacking that piece and capturing it. In chess, checkmates are often considered to be an important outcome because they allow for a final resolution of the game after a stalemate has