History Main / BattleOfWits

* In SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows, the final confrontation between Holmes and Moriarty is [[spoiler: Holmes initiating his SherlockScan to win the battle in his mind before winning it in reality, but Moriarty suddenly undercuts Holmes' strategizing with his own, so it's both of them having a fight in their minds. They both come to the conclusion that Holmes can't win the fight because of his injury, so the actual fight never happens because Holmes decides to TakeAThirdOption and pull himself and Moriarty over the railings and off a cliff.]]

** [[Discworld/GoingPostal Moist von Lipwig vs Reacher Gilt]]

* In Theatre/DerRingDesNibelungen's third opera: Siegfried, Wotan (initially disguised as a wanderer) challenges the dwarf Mime to a "Battle of Wits", with the wager being the loser's head, after the dwarf refuses to give him hospitality (all of thing was actually a scheme from Wotan who needed to give Mime an important information, the mere "Battle of Wits" was too with the purpose of Mime getting the information).

* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': InsufferableGenius? SherlockHolmes. Obsession with complex crimes? SherlockHolmes. Similarly intelligent [[TheRival rival]]/[[ArchEnemy arch-foe]]? [[spoiler:Jim]] [[ArcWelding Moriarty]]. Other people might be in danger, but the fight comes down to who can be cleverer.

* BeetleBailey and Sergeant Snorkel are constantly trying to outwit each other as Beetle tries to avoid work or otherwise get on Sarge's nerves.

* The final confrontation in PlanescapeTorment can be this, depending on your stats.

* One of the side-quests in the Original Campaign which comes with ''NeverwinterNights'' has you hunting down an InsufferableGenius escaped criminal known as ''The Stirge''. When you find him, he offers to play a game of wits with you for his life. If you follow the example he gives you when you get to play the real game,[[spoiler: you will inevitably lose.]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* GrandmasterOfTheft's entire series is based entirely around these, from each fight to the operations & mysteries themselves.

->''"For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."''

* ''DeathNoteEquestria'', being (as the name suggests) an adaptation of ''Death Note'' with ponies, naturally has this as the core conflict between [[VillainProtagonist Twilight Sparkle]] and [[HeroAntagonist L]].

A staple tactic of the ChessMaster, the GuileHero and the ManipulativeBastard alike. One way for the InsufferableGenius to prove himself. The SuperTrope to ThePlan. Losers are OutGambitted. Winners are often {{Badass Pacifist}}s. If both combatants are [[SuperIntelligence particularly brilliant]], can easily descend/ascend into GambitRoulette or XanatosSpeedChess.

* John Constantine battles his foes by outwitting them rather than fighting them head on.

Fights aren't always won with guns or swords: outsmarting your opponent can be just as effective. Battling this way also saves resources -- especially if it's a CombatByChampion of the highest-ranking members of each side. Even if not, it's easier to recover from almost being outsmarted and getting your pride wounded than almost getting outfought and getting your leg wounded. [[XanatosGambit And some play it well enough to never get wounded in the first place.]]

A staple tactic of the ChessMaster, the GuileHero and the ManipulativeBastard alike. One way for the InsufferableGenius to prove himself. The SuperTrope to both BatmanGambit and XanatosGambit. Losers are OutGambitted. Winners are often {{Badass Pacifist}}s. If both combatants are [[SuperIntelligence particularly brilliant]], can easily descend/ascend into GambitRoulette or XanatosSpeedChess.

-->-- '''Sun Tzu'''

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':

* In DerRingDesNibelungen's third opera: Siegfried, Wotan (initially disguised as a wanderer) challenges the dwarf Mime to a "Battle of Wits", with the wager being the loser's head, after the dwarf refuses to give him hospitality (all of thing was actually a scheme from Wotan who needed to give Mime an important information, the mere "Battle of Wits" was too with the purpose of Mime getting the information).

* ''HuntingHumans'' is about a battle of wits between two CrazyPrepared, supposedly ingenious {{serial killer}}s, [[AwesomeMcCoolname Aric and Darc]]. The fact that this information comes form a ''SomethingAwful'' [[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/movie-reviews/hunting-humans.php review]] might suggest something about how well it works.

* ''HuntingHumans'' is about a battle of wits between two supposedly ingenious {{serial killer}}s, [[AwesomeMcCoolname Aric and Darc]]. The fact that this information comes form a ''SomethingAwful'' [[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/movie-reviews/hunting-humans.php review]] might suggest something about how well it works.

* ''HuntingHumans'' is about a battle of wits between two supposedly ingenious serial killers. The fact that this information comes form a ''SomethingAwful'' [[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/movie-reviews/hunting-humans.php review]] might suggest something about how well it works.

* ''Film/ThePrincessBride'': Westley's [[AcquiredPoisonImmunity iocane powder]] game with Vizzini.

* The entire focus of the AceAttorney courtroom sections.

* Surprisingly enough, most of the battles in ''Tamers Forever'' are quite strategic in nature. The most prominent example would have to be the battle between Piedmon and Gallantmon. Which essentially involved Piedmon using every dirty trick he could think of and Takato [[XanatosSpeedChess adapting to and countering these moves]], all while engaged in an ''awesome'' midair duel.

* The FinalBattle of ''CodeGeass R2'' takes place on many levels (including large-scale army maneuvers and one-on-one duels) but the most important is the battle of wits between Lelouch and [[spoiler:his brother Schneizel]].
* Any fight in ''JojosBizarreAdventure''.
* Any fight in ''YuYuHakusho''
* ''LiarGame'' whole plot is a battle of wits par excellence.
* ''DeathNote'' had this as its entire focus. Well, that and Light [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope doing cartwheels off the slippery slope...]]
* ''FinalFantasyVII: AdventChildren'' sets up a battle of wits between Rufus Shinra and Kadaj. Kadaj believes Rufus to have recovered the remains of Jenova and to be hiding them somewhere, whereas he claims them to have been lost. The two keep hanging out exchanging quips and platitudes in a way that definitely suggests there is supposed to be a battle of wits going on, but they don't actually ''do'' much beyond that. Meanwhile, Kadaj's gang's brilliant plan to find Jenova consists of running around causing random trouble like the superpowered juvenile delinquents they are. In the end, [[spoiler: Rufus reveals that he's been sitting with the remains of Jenova hidden on his wheelchair the whole time.]]

A staple tactic of the ChessMaster, the GuileHero and the ManipulativeBastard alike. One way for the InsufferableGenius to prove himself. The SuperTrope to both BatmanGambit and XanatosGambit. Losers are OutGambitted. Winners are often {{Badass Pacifist}}s. If both combatants are [[SuperIntelligence particularly brilliant]], can easily descend/ascend into XanatosRoulette or XanatosSpeedChess.

"For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."
-->-Sun Tzu

* ''{{Discworld}}'':

* ''{{Sherlock}}'': InsufferableGenius? SherlockHolmes. Obsession with complex crimes? SherlockHolmes. Similarly intelligent [[TheRival rival]]/[[ArchEnemy arch-foe]]? [[spoiler:Jim]] [[ArcWelding Moriarty]]. Other people might be in danger, but the fight comes down to who can be cleverer.

''For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.''