amateur players (especially beginners). Unlike western chess, there is no tradition of offering a mutual draw by agreement. Checkmate If the king is in check and there is no possible move which could protect the king, the move is said to checkmate (tsumi 詰み) the king. Checkmate effectively means that the opponent wins the game as the player would have no remaining legal moves. (See also: tsumeshogi, hisshi.) Resignation The losing player will usually resign when the situation is thought to be hopeless and may declare the resignation at any time during their turn. Although a player may resign just after they are checkmated, playing up to the checkmate point rarely occurs in practice as players normally resign as soon as a loss is deemed inevitable – such as when a tsume (forced mate sequence) is realized by the losing player. Similarly, if a player were to lose in an Entering King situation (see section below) by having less than 24 points (or by any of the other Impasse rules used by amateurs), then the player will usually resign before that point. In traditional tournament play, a formal resignation is required – that is, a checkmate is not a sufficient condition for winning. The resignation is indicated by bowing and/or saying 'I lost' (負けました makemashita) and/or placing the right hand over the piece stands. Placing the hand over the piece stand is a vestige of an older practice of gently dropping one's pieces in hand over the board in order to indicate resignation. In western practice, a handshake may be used. Illegal move In professional and serious (tournament) amateur games, a player who makes an illegal move loses immediately. The loss stands even if play continued and the move was discovered later in game. However, if neither the opponent nor a third party points out the illegal move and the opponent later resigned, the resignation stands as the result. Illegal moves include: Violating the Two Pawns (nifu) restriction (See §Drops above.) Violating the Drop Pawn Mate (uchifuzume) restriction Dropping or moving a piece to position where it cannot move (such as dropping a knight to an opponent's last two ranks, etc.) Dropping a piece with its promoted value Playing out of turn, e.g. making more than one move or white moving first instead of moving second. Making perpetual check four times (cf. sennichite) Leaving one's king in check, or moving