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<BLOCKQUOTE> <P>I asked my chess playing partner who said, 'I do not feel like a winner if I have fewer pieces and am unable to move. If we were to have an equal number of pieces, then I feel it would be a draw.'</P> <P>Would you agree to this?</P> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>I agree with the first part, because a player who can't move is either stalemated (as in this case) or checkmated (in many other cases), and neither condition makes a player a winner. But I disagree with the second part. First, the number of pieces is not an adequate measure of material. One player could have more material even if both players have the same number of pieces. For example, one player might exchange a Knight for a Queen and so be ahead materially. But even with equally powerful forces on each side, one player might have a better position, which could lead him to checkmate his opponent and win the game. Also, it is quite possible for someone who is behind materially, as your opponent was, to still win or draw a game. All that matters in the end is what you do with your pieces, not what you could have done with them if you had played differently.</P>