ChessRanger
Tactics

Spite check

A pointless check in a lost position that only delays the inevitable.

When the game is lost, a player sometimes throws in checks that achieve nothing but postpone mate by a move. They're 'spite' checks — they spite the winner without changing the result.

The term is also a warning to the winning side: don't relax and let a string of spite checks turn into a real perpetual or a stalemate swindle.

Why it matters

Recognising a spite check for what it is keeps the winning side calm — and reminds them to check that a 'harmless' check really is harmless before waving it away.

The mistake everyone makes

As the winner, blitzing out king moves against spite checks and stumbling into a stalemate or perpetual you didn't have to allow.

Related terms

Perpetual check
An unbroken series of checks the opponent can never escape, forcing a draw by repetition.
Swindle
Saving a lost position by setting a trap that the winning side falls into.
Stalemate
The side to move has no legal move and is not in check — the game is an immediate draw.

See Spite check in your own games

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