Originally posted by blackrat364
1) Can't a 6 month old thread die in piece?

2) The possibilities do end. There are a finite number of moves in chess before the game either reaches a checkmate or a stalemate. Remember the 30 moves (sometimes played with 50 or more) without taking a piece = stalemate rule.
The standard rules was 50, and I believe it was changed to 75 in light of end game databases, as I explained in my previous post. However, this results in a draw. A stalemate is when the opponent has no moves and is not in check (which is also a draw).