stalemate

1 a point in a struggle where neither side is capable of winning or willing to give in a new negotiator finally got both sides past the stalemate Synonyms deadlock, gridlock, halt, logjam, Mexican standoff, impasse, standoff, standstillRelated Words dead end; bind, bottleneck, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, jam, morass, pickle, pinch, plight, predicament, quagmire, quandary, spot; difficulty; problem

2 a situation in which neither participant in a contest, competition, or struggle comes out ahead of the other after playing chess for 16 hours, we ended the game in a stalemate Synonyms dead heat, draw, tie, standoffRelated Words deadlock, impasse; seesaw; photo finish; horse race, toss-up