Expert: Tony D'Aloisio - 5/4/2008

Question
  Player 1 has only the king on the board. Player 2 has multiple pieces on the board. How many moves does player one's king have to force a draw before he can be put in check?

Answer
You're probably refering to the 50-moves rule, which states that a player can claim a draw if 50 moves go by (for both players) without either:  1. a capture of a piece being made; or 2. a pawn being moved.  Generally this rule is only applicable to tournament chess; after all, in most informal or recreational games, neither player writes down their moves, so how would you know when 50 moves had been made?  It is, by the way, one reason why both players are required to keep score (ie, a record of their moves) in officially sanctioned chess tournaments and matches.