History Main / SmartPeoplePlayChess

* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': [[TheSmartGuy Seto]] [[JerkassWoobie Kaiba]] got him and his brother adopted by beating Gozaburo in a chess game. Gozaburo, on the other hand, was a Grandmaster, and not all-too smart at all. When he later confronts Kaiba at Duel Monsters, few fans would deny that his deck strategy was very poor.

* As the story begins in Literature/{{Christine}}, Dennis recounts that Arnie was in the chess club at school. Dennis remembers seeing Arnie playing a match with a hand which is grimy from deep-seated engine grease, an image which for Dennis sums up Arnie's crazy academic life. Arnie's very smart and a good player, but his real aptitude isn't in chess--it's in auto repair and automotive knowledge, which makes him a mark for the bullies in auto shop...and also LeBay and Christine's perfect target later on.

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Lelouch Lamperouge is introduced by having him win an unwinnable (in a certain time frame) chess game. Needless to say, he is the second smartest person in the entire world of the series. ''The'' smartest guy in the world is a brilliant chess player, too. [[InformedAbility Don't look too closely at how they play, though; it's been outright admitted that the people who made the show at best only have a cursory knowledge of how the game works (enough to get the pieces right and that's about it).]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': Flipwart is an InUniverse game resembling chess. Marcy Wu and [[Characters/AmphibiaKingAndrias King Andrias]] , two characters known for their brilliance, are perhaps the game's best players.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': Flipwart is an InUniverse game resembling chess. [[Characters/AmphibiaMarcyWu Marcy Wu]] and [[Characters/AmphibiaKingAndrias King Andrias]] , two characters known for their brilliance, are perhaps the game's best players.

** [[Characters/HarryPotterRonBiliusWeasley Ron Bilius Weasley]] is noted as being skilled at chess despite not being particularly bright otherwise. In the first book he successfully beats a magically powered sentient chess set, set up by one of the Hogwarts professers, in what Dumbledore describes as "the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in years." Outside his chess competence Ron is an average to below average student, despite fans often [[AdaptationalDumbass viewing him as a complete idiot.]]
** [[Characters/HarryPotterHermioneJeanGranger Hermione Jean Granger]] is by far the most intelligent of the group, but is not very good at chess and doesn't like the concept of it.

* In ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', [[Characters/GravityFallsBillCipher Bill Cipher]] invites [[Characters/GravityFallsTheAuthor Ford]] to play a variant of chess with him in their first meeting. In this instance, Bill is invoking this trope in order to stroke Ford's ego and get him to do what Bill wants.

* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': ComicBook/TheRiddler is shown, in one EstablishingCharacterMoment, walking past a group of chessplayers and predicting the outcomes of three games in as many seconds.

** One scene in ''ComicBook/TheInvincibleIronMan'' has Tony Stark and Reed Richards playing each other on about ten different chessboards at the same time.

** ComicBook/LexLuthor is often shown playing chess in his various incarnations.

* ''ComicBook/{{X 23}}'': X-23 is quite intelligent and highly-educated and is also known to play chess. Laura claims that she never loses when beginning a match against Storm during her solo series.

** Ron is noted as being skilled at chess despite not being particularly bright otherwise. In the first book he successfully beats a magically powered sentient chess set, set up by one of the Hogwarts professers, in what Dumbledore describes as "the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in years." Outside his chess competence Ron is an average to below average student, despite fans often [[AdaptationalDumbass viewing him as a complete idiot.]]
** Hermione is by far the most intelligent of the group, but is not very good at chess and doesn't like the concept of it.

* Much like his comic book counterpart, Lex Luthor in ''Series/Supergirl2015'' is often shown playing chess in various forms. A flashback shows he already had that preference when he was a child, teaching his younger half-sister to play it to have an opponent for his games.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': Flipwart is an InUniverse game resembling chess. Marcy and King Andrias, two characters known for their brilliance, are perhaps the game's best players.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Brian & Stewie play chess during their cross-country trip with Quagmire.

* In ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', Bill Cypher invites Ford to play a variant of chess with him in their first meeting. In this instance, Bill is invoking this trope in order to stroke Ford's ego and get him to do what Bill wants.

* Done subtly on ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb.'' MadScientist [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr.]] [[HerrDoktor Doofensmirtz]] seems to be a fan of chess. When he is bored, he suggests that he and Perry use his travel chess set. He even schemes to freeze every evil scientist nemesis and turn them into a live [[HumanChess animal chess set.]]
* {{Subverted}} in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "The PTA Disbands": Bart is seen in the park playing several games of chess at once; he loses all of them. A parody of a scene in ''Knight Moves''.

** In one episode, Cyborg and Raven, generally portrayed as the two smartest team members, are shown playing chess with each other.

* ''Anime/SailorMoon'': Hyper-intelligent Ami plays chess, which is an important part of one episode where she plays against a villain who freezes her body more and more as she loses her pieces.

* The fact that TheChessmaster is ''named'' TheChessmaster is an example.
* ChessWithDeath is also an example. It's about trying to out-think Death with a game, but why do we name it after chess? This trope.

-->-- '''Emmett Clayton''', ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' (episode "[[Recap/ColumboS02E07 The Most Dangerous Match]]")

[[folder:Tropes]]

* ComicBook/LexLuthor is often shown playing chess in his various incarnations.
** Lex Luthor's introduction in ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' has him winning fourteen simultaneous games of chess on his coffee break, while also reading Machiavelli in the original Italian and teaching himself Urdu by tape "to keep my mind occupied". He also only becomes truly obsessed with defeating Superman after a clone of the latter beats him at chess.
** In pre-ComicBook/{{Crisis|on Infinite Earths}} days, Superman kept a giant chess-playing robot in the Fortress of Solitude that could play at super speed. [[RuleOfCool Because why not?]]
* [[TheSmartGuy Dilton]] of ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' is frequently shown playing chess.
* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' has the Daughters of Amazon led by Victoria, a master of chess. However, she is never seen actually ''playing'' chess, only talking about her past accomplishments. This leads into a recurring theme of the series of never quite knowing if characters are telling the truth about themselves or not.
* In an issue of the '70s version of ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'', Timber Wolf (the team's feral member) is seen playing a game of chess. He loses, and he complains he was just about to use his secret tactic: ''kicking over the table!''
* Lampshaded and subverted in an issue of ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules''. Facing a test of cunning set before him by a sorceress, Hercules examines a chess-like layout, then smashes the whole thing apart, claiming the answer was that the only way to win was to change the rules (and referencing the [[Franchise/StarTrek Kobayashi Maru]] while he did so). The sorceress applauds him, even as her advisor points out that all he had to do was move one of the rooks. (She was [[DistractedByTheSexy target-locked on ol' Herc at this point]], so some leeway isn't surprising.)
** In a related vein, one issue of ''[[ComicBook/TheAvengers Mighty Avengers]]'' shows Herc's TeenGenius ally Amadeus Cho -- described as the 7th smartest person in the world (Herc fans suspect Cho might deserve a higher ranking) -- defeating [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot The Vision]] at chess.
* Obadiah Stane, ComicBook/IronMan enemy, was pretty chess-obsessed, extending the metaphor to his mooks he employed. The movie gives him a pretty neat set to toy around with.
** One scene in ''The Invincible ComicBook/IronMan'' has Tony Stark and Reed Richards playing each other on about ten different chessboards at the same time.
* Taken to extremes in ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark''. Suenteus Po, an old wise philosopher, has grown so weary of the world that he hides in his small apartment and plays chess against himself... ''for decades.'' All of which seems to have been a way to protect his secrets from the BigBad, who can read minds. When she tries to read Po's mind, she sees chess...and ''nothing else''.

* [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Mr. Fantastic]] and Doctor Doom can play a game of chess ''in their heads'', while wandering Doom's castle in Latveria, while having various other deep discussions, with some XanatosSpeedChess besides (i.e. Doom launching an attack on the other three with Reed having set some countermeasures in motion).
** In the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' mini-series "1-2-3-4" by Creator/GrantMorrison, Doctor Doom engaged Reed in a form of 4-D chess with an alien computer called the Prime Mover, manipulating the minds and emotions of Reed's teammates in order to destroy them. Reed realized that Doom's gambits were rigid and clumsy and was able to out-think him by being more flexible in his playing. [[spoiler:Literally, as it turns out, as he used his elongation powers to add new structures to his brain.]]
* In an issue of Justice League, [[ComicBook/MisterTerrific Mr. Terrific]] plays two games of chess against Green Lantern and Black Canary... blindfolded! Somewhat downplayed, as it turned out to be a test—Michael was [[https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z_sOjEPczvU/VuJ1u8mknfI/AAAAAAAAKHo/xZPOY_ElmE4dxZ5tBkRCfWU0k09SYspkgCCo/s0-Ic42/RCO011.jpg playing white against Hal and black against Dinah, and playing them both against each other]].
* In ''The ComicBook/UncannyXMen'', Professor Xavier occasionally played chess against some of his students. Hank [=McCoy=] and Kitty Pryde have been known to beat him on occasion.
* ComicBook/{{X 23}} is quite intelligent and highly-educated and is also known to play chess. Laura claims that she never loses when beginning a match against ComicBook/{{Storm}} during her solo series.
* Odin in ''ComicBook/{{Valhalla}}'' loves chess (despite the anachronism) and can almost constantly be seen playing it against his advisor Mimir when he's not taking an active affair in things. Subverted in that he always loses, and often [[EpicFail so badly]] that the results (and his ensuing attempts to weasel out of them by cheating) fall under RuleOfFunny.
* The Riddler is shown, in one EstablishingCharacterMoment, walking past a group of chessplayers and predicting the outcomes of three games in as many seconds.
* In ''ComicBook/RicHochet'', the titular character is a very skilled player. Even the resident scientific genius, Professor Hermelin, has been beaten repeatedly by him, much to the latter's annoyance. Ric' ArchNemesis, "Le Bourreau", is also a very cunning player, although he doesn't hesitate to cheat or play unfairly.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Athena is playing chess with pieces shaped like the characters against her owl, an extension/reflection of her own will when Ares comes to see what she wants. She continues playing throughout their almost friendly argument and Ares smirks when he sees the owl move the piece that's clearly Ares before Ares agrees to do what his sister is asking of him.

* ''Literature/DoomsdayWarrior''. In ''American Nightmare'', Ted Rockson has been captured by the DirtyCommunists. Our hero manfully resists torture, but offers to talk if his Russian torturer (who [[NationalStereotypes of course]] is a chessmaster) can beat him in a game (yeah right!). Rockson cunningly conceals the fact that he's also a chess champion ([[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands he concealed this from the audience as well, in nine previous novels]]). They play on a red and white chessboard (the DirtyCommunist plays red, naturally) and Rockson beats him in six moves. Unfortunately the author actually sets out each move, [[InformedAbility making it clear that this duel of alleged chessmasters is anything but.]]

* ''Film/GlassOnion'': One of the locks on Miles' puzzle boxes is a chessboard; Claire identifies it as a "chess endgame" and solves it with the move that leads to checkmate. His friends take this as proof of how brilliant Miles and themselves are, but this assumption is eventually {{Subverted}}. [[spoiler: What Claire calls an "endgame" is the "Fool's Mate," a widely-known checkmate that is only possible when one side makes the [[IdiotBall worst moves possible]]. Solving it does not demonstrate any deep understanding of chess, and Miles didn't design the puzzle anyway. As a bonus, it is a StealthPun: each of Miles' friends is [[DumberThanTheyLook a fool's mate]].]]
* In ''Film/{{Husk}}'', Scott is the resident nerd and is identified as a member of the chess team to establish him as the smart member of the group. He uses a chess board he finds in the OldDarkHouse to make a chess analogy to explain how the ScaryScarecrow operates. Unfortunately, [[ArtisticLicenseSports the move he describes is not part of the rules of chess]].

* In the ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'' episode "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow", an alt-timeline version of Captain Kirk in 21st-century Toronto earns some money by hustling games of chess. He effortlessly wins all of them before dismissing the traditional 2-D game as "idiot's chess".