stalemate

Universal Words noun 1 [U,C,usually sing.] a situation in a dispute or competition in which neither side is able to win or make any progress: The talks ended in (a) stalemate. * proposals aimed at breaking (= ending) the political stalemate * The strike has once again reached stalemate. 2 [U,sing.] (in CHESS) a situation in which a player cannot successfully move any of their pieces and the game ends without a winner: The match ended in (a) stalemate compareCHECKMATE