Perpetual check
An unbroken series of checks the opponent can never escape, forcing a draw by repetition.
When a player has no way to win but can give check after check that the enemy king can never run from, the game is drawn — the same position repeats three times, or both sides simply agree the checks will never stop.
It is the great swindling resource: a player who is losing on material can still save the half point if the enemy king is exposed enough to be checked forever.
Perpetual check turns lost positions into draws. Knowing it exists changes how you defend when you're behind — and how carefully you tuck your king away when you're ahead.
When winning, leaving your king so exposed that the opponent bails out with a perpetual you could have avoided by spending one move on king safety.
Related terms
See Perpetual check in your own games
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