(~s)
1.
Stalemate is a situation in which neither side in an argument or contest can win or in which no progress is possible.
President Bush has ended the ~ over moves to cut the country’s budget deficit...
= deadlock
N-VAR
2.
In chess, ~ is a position in which a player cannot make any move which is allowed by the rules, so that the game ends and no one wins.
N-VAR