History TheChessmaster / VideoGames

** [[spoiler:The Water Dragon]] counts too. [[spoiler:She uses Li's entire gambit to ensure the PlayerCharacter will be bringing her back from the dead. How she pulls this off is a combination of MyDeathIsOnlyTheBeginning with the PC as the guy dying and an UnexplainedRecovery with a little dash of RoaringRampageOfRevenge]].

* Ludwig von Koopa in ''VideoGame/BowserJrsJourney'' shows just how cunning and savage he is. He NEVER backs down from a fight, but this time, he knows that he's no match for Beef's brawn, by making a Ludwig mannequin as a decoy, and then striking Beef from behind, putting him to sleep, and then he made a Beef costume to fool Kaley, and when he took off his disguise in front of her, Bowser Jr, Iggy, and Kamek, he roasted Kaley hardcore by spilling out all of her secrets, knowing that it would [[berserkbutton make her lose her temper]].

* Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' wears a scarf with a chessboard pattern and claims to be the diabolical mastermind behind a NebulousEvilOrganization. [[spoiler: While this ends up being a lie, Kokichi shows hints of being smarter than he lets on more and more frequently as time progresses. While at first glance his actions are chaotic, there's a calculated madness in them. He never wants to play the Killing Game the way the mastermind wants, so he becomes the biggest naysayer in trials and clashes with Kaede and Shuichi because they dance right into the mastermind's game. His decision to manipulate Gonta into collecting everyone in one place in the second chapter is so everyone can watch each other's motive videos and know just who they need to watch out for. He trolls Maki into revealing her true talent after seeing her motive video and recognizing its danger. He even [[ThanatosGambit arranges his own death]] [[CrazyPrepared in advance]] so the mastermind is as blind and powerless as everyone else in the Killing Game.]]

** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''. Revan, who dazzled even the Mandalorians with his battle strategy, using feints, sacrificing non-productive targets (regardless of population), and flanks. It's even implied that Revan deliberately fell to the Dark Side to serve the greater good in a complicated BatmanGambit.
** And then there's Kreia from ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''... words do not begin to describe... First of all, she was ''Revan's master'', and Revan may have been following ''her'' bigger plan all along. Malak becomes a SpannerInTheWorks? Fine. Just rig things up so one of Revan's top generals (The Exile) ends up walking into her trap. Then manipulate the hell out of Exile and Exile's entire party, brought together (and forced to stay together) by a combination of blackmail, lies, and [[MindRape Force bonds]]. The endgame? She's playing her chess game against ''The Force itself!'' She blatantly admits what she's doing, too. ''"no game of dejarik'' [Franchise/StarWars's answer to chess] ''can be won without pawns."'' indeed.

* Lenora from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' has this as her battle style, in the game, Anime, and Manga. In the game, defeating her first Pokémon is a no win situation, as both of her Pokémon know Retaliate, which with the STAB granted by it being a normal type move, which makes it one of the most powerful moves you'll see early in the game. In both the Anime and Manga, her battle style resolves around forcing her opponents to play into her hand. There's a reason she's considered ThatOneBoss.

!!Examples With Chess Motifs
* Ryuusei Cartwright of ''VideoGame/AdventureQuest'' subverts this trope; since "there is nothing to be gained in epic struggles", referring to his failed attempts of past, he speaks of playing metaphorical chess randomly, and seeing what happens.

* The Templar Order in ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' will manipulate two sides of the conflict to advance their agenda of total control especially since they have connections to aristocrats, titans of industry and other authority figures.
** In the final assassination mission of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'', [[spoiler:Robert de Sable reveals that Al-Mualim has been manipulating Altaïr into killing everyone who knew the secrets of the Piece of Eden, so that none could challenge him when he would use it to take over the Holy Land]]. In his final moments, he comments that everyone, including Altaïr and the other Templars, were just "pawns in his grand game."
%%* Nemesis in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' is all about this.

* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'' has enough of these to make one think it was a required step in character design. Most notably are [[spoiler: Moebius, the hylden, Elder God, and Kain]]
* Steve Gardner and John Parker from ''VideoGame/MetalGearGhostBabel''. Snake comments in the ending that he plans to make them pay for playing chess with peoples lives and hearts.
* Arcturus Mengsk from ''VideoGame/StarCraft''. He plays the Confederates and Zerg off one another to put himself in charge. In the novel ''Liberty's Crusade'' he is shown as a avid chess player, complete with a chess set in his command center. Towards the end, when his plans start falling apart, the chess set gets thrown across the room, [[spoiler: although Kerrigan does the actual kicking for him.]]
** He did not subscribe to the notion of comparing war to Chess with a pretty convincing argument. Such as how war is very rarely ever fought in a scenario where both sides are evenly matched, or that there are never only ever two forces active on the board and not all of them share the same goal of capturing the King.
--->'''Mengsk:''' First, the opponents are hardly ever truly even. The Confederacy of Man had Apocalypse-class missiles and my homeworld did not; the Confederacy played that card until Korhal IV was a blackened glass sphere hanging in space. Hardly even. ... Second is the idea of equal forces. The truth is that a better gun inspires a chemical counterweapon, which then inspires a telepathic strike, which then brings about an artificial intelligence guiding the weapon. The pressure of war does bring about growth, but it is never the neat, linear growth that you learn about in the classroom. Third is the idea of a level playing field. The chessboard is limited to an eight-by-eight grid. There is nothing beyond this little universe. No ninth rank. No green pieces that suddenly sweep onto the board to attack both black and white. No pawns that suddenly become bishops.
* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' has Chess motifs all over the place, but the one who ''seems'' to be doing all the manipulation isn't the one using the chess metaphors.
* Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader in ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' wears a scarf with a chessboard pattern and claims to be the diabolical mastermind behind a NebulousEvilOrganization. [[spoiler: While this ends up being a lie, Kokichi shows hints of being smarter than he lets on more and more frequently as time progresses. While at first glance his actions are chaotic, there's a calculated madness in them. He never wants to play the Killing Game the way the mastermind wants, so he becomes the biggest naysayer in trials and clashes with Kaede and Shuichi because they dance right into the mastermind's game. His decision to manipulate Gonta into collecting everyone in one place in the second chapter is so everyone can watch each other's motive videos and know just who they need to watch out for. He trolls Maki into revealing her true talent after seeing her motive video and recognizing its danger. He even [[ThanatosGambit arranges his own death]] [[CrazyPrepared in advance]] so the mastermind is as blind and powerless as everyone else in the Killing Game.]]
* A character called 'A Friend' in ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', who sends the main character e-mail containing chess metaphors on how the plot is turning, is very likely the man behind the plot; namely [[spoiler: the taxi driver]]. Fans have written everything short of academic essays on this guy.

!!Examples Without Chess Motifs
* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
** Freed from the constraints of StupidityIsTheOnlyOption in ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'', Phoenix Wright becomes one of the most capable Chessmasters not only of that game, but of the entire ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series. He manipulates every important event towards his own ends, and any major errors on his part are made only when [[spoiler:[[StupidityIsTheOnlyOption he's being controlled by the player during the fourth case]]]].
** The prosecutors of the original trilogy (excluding [[WarmupBoss Winston Payne]]) also seem to have Chessmaster-ish qualities, Edgeworth even has a chess set in his office with a suspiciously spiky blue pawn.
** In ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations 2'', the chess motif becomes literal, with Edgeworth engaging in "Logic Chess" to get people to talk. There's also a witness who is obsessed with chess, and another who plays long-distance chess with the former. [[spoiler:The real {{Chessmaster}} of the game is the former's best friend and the latter's protege, and the one acting as courier for their games. Fittingly enough, he admits to having a certain fondness for chess, and he takes the grandmaster title for the role, masterminding every murder in the game save one and manipulating most of the cast to do his bidding]].
* There are two real chessmasters in ''VisualNovel/AseliaTheEternalTheSpiritOfEternitySword'', and in general they don't really show up until the last 15% of the game. [[spoiler:Temuorin]] is the big bad and set up the whole plot and [[spoiler:Tokimi]] interfered so that the game doesn't get a downer ending.

* In ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'', we have [[CardCarryingVillain Hazama]] / [[{{Troll}} Yuuki Terumi]]. Easily one of the most powerful people in the world, Hazama has manipulated dozens if not hundreds of people into furthering his evil deeds. [[spoiler:He even ends up outwitting an omnipotent supercomputer with three minds that runs reality]]. Just don't mention a [[spoiler:[[SpannerInTheWorks certain]] [[PluckyGirl squirrel girl]]]] to him. Honorable mentions to [[BigBadDuumvirate fellow villain]] [[MadScientist Relius Clover]] and their opposing heroic Chessmaster, [[VegetarianVampire Rachel Alucard]].
* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' has a rare example of the Chessmaster actually being a good guy. [[spoiler:Belthasar]] manipulated 10,000 years of history across multiple parallel dimensions to make sure the protagonist would acquire the (eponymous) ultimate item needed to completely destroy [[spoiler:the Time Devourer]].
* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'': Lord Nemesis. Anyone who can convince you that ''you're'' a BetaBaddie deserves a nod. Take a gander at his GambitRoulette entry if you don't believe me.
* In ''VideoGame/DiabloII'', most of the plot and background involving apparently fluctuating fortunes for all sides in the conflict between the Burning Hells, the High Heavens, and the humans in between, including significant losses for the [[BigBadDuumvirate Three Prime Evils]] Diablo, Mephisto and Baal along the way, turns out to have been all part of the long-term plan of the Prime Evils themselves. This trend continues in ''VideoGame/DiabloIII''.
* A non-villain example is Sereph Lamington from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea|HourOfDarkness}}''. His BatmanGambit was so well executed that he qualifies for this trope. Sending his most loyal angel on a false assassination mission (knowing that she'll take the change in mission he was expecting), turning the ambitions of his 2nd in command to his advantage (humans, angels, and demons had to share in it) which causes said traitor to be exposed to him (and punished). Even his battle with Laharl was part of the plan. There's a reason why he's the Seraph, and this is it. Far more intelligent than he looks.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** The [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] Mephala, also known as the Webspinner and the Lady of Whispers, is known for her complex, long-reaching plans that are likened to spider webs. Being "the Chessmaster" falls well within her sphere of influence.
** The giant slug-like beastmen, the Sload, view this as a societal ideal. Sload tales have their heroes sitting around for very long periods of time, consulting wiser Sload and performing subtle actions to further very long goals, while Sload villains are bold and audacious types who always [[LeeroyJenkins rush]] and [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption always lose]] to the hero's careful manipulations. [[TheUnfettered The Sload idea of what is "right" or "wrong"]] [[BlueAndOrangeMorality tends to differ a lot from the other races]].
** Throughout the series' until his death at the start of ''Oblivion'', [[TheEmperor Emperor]] [[TheGoodKing Uriel Septim VII]] was one. His Imperial Legions were [[RedshirtArmy nowhere near]] the fighting force [[BadassArmy they once were]] and his Empire was only maintained through his elaborate schemes, shrewd diplomacy, and political maneuvering. His shift to a methodical politician was a stark change from his early reign, where he was more of an aggressive integrator.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'':
*** Azura, Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn and the "Lady of Prophesy", ''may'' be this...the fact that we can't be quite sure is a testament to her skill. Seen most prominently in the main plot of ''Morrowind'', where she [[spoiler:guides [[PlayerCharacter the Nerevarine]] into unbinding the [[CosmicKeystone Heart of Lorkhan]], the source of [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]] and [[DeityOfHumanOrigin the Tribunal]]'s [[PhysicalGod divinity]]. While Azura takes on a highly benevolent image in helping to free the Dunmer from the threat of Dagoth Ur, the primary reason why the Nerevarine is actually sent to Vvardenfell is to undermine and destroy the Tribunal (who defied her, stole her worshipers, and [[TheRashomon may have]] killed her previous champion, [[FounderOfTheKingdom Lord Nerevar]]). Actually defeating Dagoth Ur is just the good PR "icing on the cake" while she actually gets what she wants when the 4000-year reign of the Dunmeri Physical Gods is brought to an end]]. [[XanatosGambit No matter how you play it]], she ends up being the ''only'' party involved in the main quest to get ''everything'' she wants.
*** Hlaalu Helseth, who becomes king of Morrowind in between the events of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollSIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'' and ''Morrowind'', is one, along with being a ManipulativeBastard. Fail to capture the throne of Wayrest during the events of ''Daggerfall''? He returns to his mother's homeland of Morrowind and captures the throne there. The former King Llethan is old and weak? [[spoiler: Helseth poisons him and usurps his throne, killing Llethan's chosen heir as well in the process]]. Some "[[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]]" character is making news in Vvardenfell? He sends the [[MurderInc Dark Brotherhood]] to kill the Nerevarine, who he perceives as a threat to his rule. [[spoiler: When that fails, he gets the Nerevarine to work for ''him'']]. The in-game book [[http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:A_Game_at_Dinner A Game at Dinner]] also provides a great example, in which Helseth roots out a spy.
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'''s ''Dragonborn'' DLC, Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince of [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow Knowledge]], proves to be one. He allowed [[BigBad Miraak]] to think he could plot against him in [[EldritchLocation Apocrypha]], using the opportunity to secretly groom the [[PlayerCharacter Last Dragonborn]] as his replacement, and thusly allowed Miraak to become a threat that the Last Dragonborn and the [[NobleSavage Skaal]] couldn't ignore. Simultaneously, Miraak can't be reached by normal means, and doing so requires knowing the full Bend Will shout, the words of which only Hermaus Mora himself knows. The last of which, Mora refuses to give until the Skaal give up the knowledge he is pursuing. Everything falls exactly as Mora plans to get what he wants (and then some).
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]'', Mannimarco. He successfully plays Varen and the other four companions into getting the Amulet of Kings for him, allowing his Worm Cult to rise to power and kicking off the game's plot. In the same game, Meridia [[spoiler:"[[UnwittingPawn uses you]]" (her own words) to build up an army and end the Planesmeld that Mannimarco is attempting]].
* ''VideoGame/FableII'' has Theresa, who's also a [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]]; the DLC reveals [[spoiler: that she was the one who gave the music box to Murgo, then convinced Sparrow to buy it while manipulating Lucien to become obsessed with the spire and possibly convincing him to kill Rose and try to kill Sparrow, so she could guide Sparrow to become a hero and gather the heroes of legends to claim the spire for her own. May also constitute a GambitRoulette.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout|1}}'', the ''player'' can become this. By having a high Intelligence, Speech, and Luck, you can do just about anything without getting into direct fights, having others do your bidding. While Luck is not only representative of literal luck, high-Luck characters are able to tell the future and are heavily implied to have superhuman abilities. In gameplay, this usually translates to robbing casinos blind, performing brain surgery by accident, and getting in good with factions.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' has a heroic Chessmaster tag-team of Jecht and Auron, who spend the game (and the 10 years prior to it) preparing Tidus so he'll someday kill Sin, instead of letting it get sealed back into its can.
*** One of Auron's moves in the game was [[spoiler:getting Tidus and Yuna alone together in one of the most romantic spots in Spira long enough for the inevitable to happen, ensuring that Tidus would not allow the Grand Summoning to happen as scheduled]]. Bonus points for [[spoiler: sending ''Kimahri'' along as chaperone, the ''only member'' of the party who wouldn't have stopped them]].
*** On the villains' side, there is [[spoiler: Yu Yevon and Yunalesca]]. The former sacrifices an entire city so that the latter can build a cycle of SenselessSacrifice in his name.
*** Not quite as bad as the former entry, but [[spoiler: The Maesters]] have a bit of this going too. The whole of Operation Mi'hen was to make the Crusaders look like they were ignoring scriptures and doctrine to strike off on their own, while in fact, [[spoiler: the Church of Yevon]] was the driving force behind it all along. Hell, even if the Operation ''worked'' the group could claim credit, which turns the Operation into a XanatosGambit.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' was completely filled with [[GambitPileup Chessmaster-on-Chessmaster action]]. [[spoiler:The Galbados Church was trying to manipulate commoner legends to set themselves up as faux-saviors in the Lion War. The church's new "Zodiac Braves" were actually the demonic Lucavi, playing the church for fools and using the bloodshed of the Lion War to revive their leader. Both Prince Larg and Goltana were using the recent death of the King to try and place their preferred puppet candidates on the throne, setting themselves up as Regent. Dycedarg was using Larg, hoping to kill him and take his place in the whole plot. And Delita was outmaneuvering them all, using the church and Goltana to set himself as the new king by marrying Ovelia (The fact that he seemed to genuinely like her was almost problematic for him), and using the protagonist to stop the Lucavi, as he couldn't deal with them personally without screwing up the rest of his plans. Delita succeeded, and every other contender was dead when the dust settled]]. About the only people ''not'' trying to screw everyone else like a two-dicked billygoat was the protagonist and his crew, but his actions definitely were manipulated for other peoples' gain.
** Rufus Shinra, of ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'', was a very sneaky, wheelchair-bound chessmaster who, with only four hired goons and his wits about him, manages to fool Kadaj for the entire movie. While suffering from a ''fatal disease'', no less.
*** Not as though this is his first act of such. He's been doing this for years as revealed in ''VideoGame/BeforeCrisis'' wherein [[spoiler:he was shown to be the financial backer and chessmaster behind the second incarnation of the ecoterrorist group AVALANCHE, simply because he wanted his father out of the way. Though, the whole thing does come back to bite him on the ass with the third incarnation of the group in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' proper]].
*** Though, this trait runs in the family as we see in ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' with [[spoiler:Rufus' all-bastard half-brother Lazard is revealed to be effectively using both SOLDIER and the Genesis Army to play chess ''with himself'' in his efforts to topple the company. But again, it all comes back to bite him in the ass when people start investigating him too closely and he ends up a victim of the very same SendInTheClones style plot he had been orchestrating. It proves though that only by having his ''DNA rewritten'' will he ever stop being a Shinra. Which he absolutely hates being, but in trying to destroy his family, he proves how much of a Shinra he really is]].
* It's heavily implied that Miu Tenjo of ''VisualNovel/FragmentsNote'' is indirectly responsible for ''every occurrence in the series''. She appears to have planned out the fact that her meddling in the timestream created an irregularity, Ayame, allowing Kazuha to alter the past through her, save Kyoichi, and forge a happy ending for Yukitsuki.
* ''VideoGame/FrozenSynapse'''s Charon's Palm can be seen as a chessmaster with a perhaps unique twist; [[spoiler:it splintered itself in two to create Tactics and assist Graham Nix with his coup, creating more destruction and death of innocent and guilty lives than was necessary. Why? Because it was ''bored'']].
* The player in this game of ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations 2'', who ended the existence of his galaxy's then greatest military power in a single turn. When his race specialized in cultural influence and entertainment programming, and had ''zero military power whatsoever''. Via a combo of diplomatic, financial, and cultural maneuvering that... seriously, just read it. * g* (The relevant parts are at Day 9 and 10.)
-->'''Player:''' I don't care that my foreign intel reports rate you as the most powerful race in the galaxy. I don't care that I come dead last on that same list. I don't care that I couldn't even fight back if I ''had'' any gunships because of a pledge to spread peace throughout the galaxy. In fact, you know what? That's it. Your race ends this week. When I next click that 'Turn' button, you're out of the game.
** At the end of that same game, He exploited his own cultural influence technologies and a law ''he passed'' at the beginning of the game to override the normal limitations on ship movement in order to place the final starbase he needed in order to wipe out his remaining rivals and end the game. [[http://computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=198344 Day 30]]. I cried at the beauty of the move:
--->'''Player:''' I'd catapulted the slowest unit in the galaxy 600 trillion kilometers in an instant: right to the sun it was built to destroy.
** He's come a long way since his [[http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=161570&site=pcg last GalCiv II game]], then. In that attempt, [[spoiler:it took him the entire game to realize that all of his strategies and tactics were merely a sideshow to some byzantine maneuvering between the [=AI=] opponents, and the only reason he hadn't been exterminated by one faction long ago was because they knew it would allow another faction to win]].
* The ending of ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'' reveals that the course of the entire game is orchestrated by [[spoiler:Ray, who is actually Missile from an AlternateTimeline where he did not have the necessary ghost tricks to save anyone, so he goes back in time and waits for ten years for the right moment to come around again, so he could manipulate Sissel's self-interest into saving Lynne and everyone else that could be a lead in Sissel's QuestForIdentity]].
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' has the G-Man, the mysterious suited man who [[TheWatcher has been shadowing Gordon Freeman]] since the beginning of the series. He speaks of his "employers," but it's obvious that the G-Man has been subtly influencing events since the first game and that Gordon is really just his pawn, [[spoiler:at least until the Vortigaunts intervene in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2: Episode 1'']]. The real question is which side the G-Man is on.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** Gravemind displays the traits of a chessmaster throughout ''VideoGame/Halo2'' and ''VideoGame/Halo3''. Gravemind, who embodies the combined intelligence of everything ever infected by the Flood, managed milennia to turn an AI that had been specifically designed to destroy the Flood over to his side, manages to in five seconds convince the [[ChurchMilitant Arbiter]] to prevent the rings from firing, takes over the Covenant capital city, and uses the Chief and Arbiter to stop Truth from activating the Ark and destroying all life in the galaxy, just so that he could infest all life in the galaxy. When the Halo was about to fire and destroy the Flood yet again, Gravemind says that all it'll do is delay the inevitable. ''Literature/HaloSilentium'' reveals that he's also sort of responsible for [[spoiler:all the trouble the Ur-Didact causes from ''VideoGame/Halo4'' onward]].
** There's also the Prophet of Truth. In ''Halo 2'' he is the epitome of the Chessmaster, going as far as to make preperations to eliminate the Sangheili without them even knowing it, kills off his two co-leaders with no mercy or regret ([[IncrediblyLamePun hahaha...]]), and having the Arbiter run a wild goose chase, culminating in the latter's "demise" at the hands of Tartarus. [[spoiler:In this case, it all backfires on him pretty badly, thanks in part to the above-mentioned Gravemind.]]
* ''VisualNovel/HarvestDecember'' has its protagonist, Masaki, as another example. He knows just what to say and how to push his friends' buttons to get them to say or do what's in the best benefit for them rather than himself.
* [[spoiler:Master Li]] from ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire''. They don't call him [[spoiler:the Glorious Strategist]] for nothing.
** [[spoiler:The Water Dragon]] counts too. [[spoiler:She uses Li's entire gambit to ensure the PlayerCharacter will be bringing her back from the dead. How she pulls this off is a combination of MyDeathIsOnlyTheBeginning with the PC as the guy dying and an UnexplainedRecovery with a little dash of RoaringRampageOfRevenge]].
* Virtually ''everyone'' in Organization 13 from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' gets in on this, though special mention has to go to Zexion, complete with VillainousBreakdown when he DidntSeeThatComing.
** However, the undisputed king of this in Kingdom Hearts has to be Xehanort. Everything that has happened in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' saga from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' onwards can be traced back to Master Xehanort, although [[spoiler: his future incarnations kind of drifted away from his original plan]]. Sheer [[ThePowerOfFriendship Power Of Friendship]] is the only reason his plan to restart the Keyblade War didn't succeed at the Keyblade Graveyard, [[spoiler: and after losing all his memories, he's able to continue his plans in some form thanks to Braig]].
* Ganondorf from ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series tends to stay two steps ahead of Zelda and Link, even though he eventually gets defeated in the end. Some of his grand schemes include the following:

* [[MagnificentBastard Revolver Ocelot]] of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' was described in one Fanfic as "the only person ever to successfully pull off an octuple cross". Said octuple cross must have been a pretty small operation by his standards. [[spoiler:Actually, the worst he manages ''is'' an octuple cross, betraying Colonel Gurlucovitch, Richard Ames, James Johnson, Olga Gurlucovitch, Fortune, George Sears, the Patriots and [[MindScrew the player himself. Let's put it this way, by the end of MGS4, you discover the entire series was about two competing chessmasters...both of them are Ocelot]]]].
** The page quote on DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent sums it up nicely.
--->'''Psycho Mantis:''' I mean, you must spend every day [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow pretending to act like you're falsely letting on]] that you [[ConfusingMultipleNegatives aren't not unbetraying someone you don't not purport to allegedly not work for]] but really do! How do you keep all this shit straight without having an '''aneurysm'''?!\\

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' has Sarah Kerrigan. ''Brood Wars'' was Kerrigan playing her own constant Chessmaster, to the point where she was more playing a game of {{Gambit|roulette}}.
** Both ''Starcraft'' and ''Brood Wars'' actually have several of them. The Overmind definitely counts, maybe also Dugall. Alan Shezar and Ulrezaj also count, if you take Creator/{{Blizzard|Entertainment}}'s bonus campaigns as canon. Oh, and [[spoiler: Duran]] (who also qualifies as a MagnificentBastard).

* This is the whole point of the text adventure ''Varicella'', with the player competing for the role of regent with a whole slew of Chessmasters [[spoiler: which ends up in a magnificent GambitPileup]]

** [[spoiler:Darkrai]] from ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers of Time/Darkness/Sky'', who actually came up with different plans to kill the heroes over the course of the game. During the post game story, he has no less than ''[[CrazyPrepared five backup plans]]'' in place!

** Lenora from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' has this as her battle style, in the game, Anime, and Manga. In the game, defeating her first Pokémon is a no win situation, as both of her Pokémon know Retaliate, which with the STAB granted by it being a normal type move, which makes it one of the most powerful moves you'll see early in the game. In both the Anime and Manga, her battle style resolves around forcing her opponents to play into her hand. There's a reason she's considered ThatOneBoss.

* The Kimono Girls take on a role that could be described as this in ''VideoGame/PokemonHeartGoldAndSoulSilver''. I'm as surprised as you. Their actual plan is horribly vague; apparently it involves finding a kindhearted Trainer to summon Ho-oh or Lugia (depending on the game). What purpose this serves is not made clear, and the whole plan seems to be rendered a bit useless by the fact that said kindhearted Trainer proceeds to beat the crap out of the aforementioned Pokémon and, if they're feeling merciful, capture it in a tiny ball and make it their slave.

* ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'': The Great Game, fought with spies and moles, continues even in a cavern where death isn't permanent unless you leave. Plans are codenamed as chess moves, players are given ranks based on the chess pieces, and your Great Game talisman is a white knight piece. In truth, the game itself is one big deception, as it was revealed that [[spoiler:the chessmasters behind the Great Game don't give a damn about the sides they fight for (holding sides of the board is important but not absolutely necessary to win chess), and their true goal is the supernatural currencies in the Bazaar's vaults (in other words, to capture the King and shake him down for cash)]].

* There are two real chessmasters in ''VisualNovel/EienNoAselia'', and in general they don't really show up until the last 15% of the game. [[spoiler:Temuorin]] is the big bad and set up the whole plot and [[spoiler:Tokimi]] interfered so that the game doesn't get a downer ending.

* There are two real chessmasters in ''VideoGame/EienNoAselia'', and in general they don't really show up until the last 15% of the game. [[spoiler:Temuorin]] is the big bad and set up the whole plot and [[spoiler:Tokimi]] interfered so that the game doesn't get a downer ending.

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order.

* [[ManipulativeBastard Lord Fain]] of ''VideoGame/{{Lusternia}}''. Ostracised by his fellows Gods eons ago for his [[IDidWhatIHadToDo questionable]] [[CannibalismSuperpower methods]], upon his return to the First World he adopts the guise of a shadowy manipulator, using mortals and other Gods as tools to carry out his complex plans. Though progress through his service is characterized by chess motifs, it's just flattery designed to ingratiate him to his more competent followers - to Fain, ''everyone'' is a pawn.

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' has the leader of Cerberus, the Illusive Man, who pulls string after string to get things to go as he wants them to throughout the game. He does, however, make one flaw- he under-estimates Commander Shepard. Depending on the player's actions, [[spoiler:Shepard can disobey the Illusive Man by blowing up a "potential resource", after which possibly telling him to "fall in line or step aside- but don't get in my way", and potentially getting Cerberus' most loyal and intelligent operative to disobey a direct order and quit in the same moment]].

** The Sith Emperor of ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' managed to be the ManBehindTheMan for nearly all of the major events of the galaxy since the Exar Kun War, including all of the events in the ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' series. He manipulated [[BloodKnight the]] [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Mandalorians]] into attacking Republic space leading them into the Mandalorian Wars, a devastating war which he orchestrated entirely to lead Revan to him, who he took as his apprentice and sent off to find the Star Forge. When this failed due to Malak's betrayal and Revan's subsequent redemption, he set up puppet leaders on Republic worlds on the Outer Rim, infiltrated the Jedi Order, and rigged the Mandalorian gladiator tournament to place a Sith agent as the new Mandalore. All of this was in preparation for their strike on the Republic border worlds, in which he struck while the Mandalorians (under the leadership of aforementioned Sith agent) blockaded Coruscant and disrupted Core World trade routes. At the time of the first cease-fire, his Sith Empire controlled nearly half of of the known galaxy--the closest any Sith Lord has gotten to conquering the galaxy until Emperor Palpatine himself, nearly four millenia later.

*** Expansion ''Knights of the Fallen Empire'' culminates in a play of its own. Despite the Zakuulan Empire - and its nigh-invulnerable "Eternal Fleet" - being first led by the ''actual'' Sith Emperor before events have his remaining son take the throne, the ending of the penultimate chapter brings ''another'' new leader to the fore. [[spoiler:And it ''isn't'' Arcann's Princess Azula-esque younger sister Vaylin, either.]] Who it is... [[spoiler:is SCORPIO. In the five-year time skip that punctuates Chapter One, the now-former Imperial Agent companion implants herself as the Lady Of Shadows; a secretive information broker and manipulator of the Zakuulan underworld. Realising that the player character - dubbed the Outlander after Arcann points them out as the Emperor's assassin - is at the head of a coalition resistance force, she tags along under the pretenses of offering her incredible knowledge as an ancient-tech superdroid. However, she's well aware that, in order to render Arcann vulnerable, the Alliance needs a way to either deactivate or control the Eternal Fleet. As the story continues, the Alliance learn that the Fleet's ships are controlled by GEMINI droids; which look, to all concerned, like later models of SCORPIO, albeit without the freedom of independent action. By suggesting that the Alliance abduct one of the GEMINI droids in order to forge a link to the Fleet through which they can turn it against Arcann ''and'' faking her death in the very same mission, SCORPIO manages to break away from the Outlander's group for long enough to take control of a GEMINI droid herself, use the link to inform Arcann precisely where he can find the person who both killed his father and bested him at every turn and then, while ''he'' has his back turned trying to follow through on his quest for vengeance, she literally ''walks into the Zakuulan throne room'', sits herself down on the Eternal Throne, takes control of the whole Fleet for herself and, better yet, turn Arcann's sister Vaylin to her side in the process.]]

* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' (in various timelines), Shu Shirakawa and Ingram Prisken often act as chessmasters, manipulating the protagonists into doing their bidding unwittingly, and with unparalleled amounts of panache (Shu has even garnered an unwanted harem in the past). Interestingly, they take to the field of battle quite often, but this is perhaps solely to show off their (incredibly cool) Humongous Mecha. Due to the crossover nature of the series, Shu and Ingram have butted heads with each other, [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Gendo Ikari]], [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam The Titans]], [[Manga/GiantRobo Big Fire]], and various other factions and have generally come out on top. They could also be considered a subversion of this trope,[[spoiler:because they themselves are being forced to do the bidding of higher powers, and actually fall under direct control of them on several occasions. The protagonists generally end up killing them, or being unable to prevent their deaths. Ironically, after noting just before dying that he was now free of all the chains that bound him, Shu is actually brought back from the dead to resume his previous role. Perhaps proving what a magnificent bastard he is, Shu is actually -released- from his bonds upon his resurrection. Whether or not this was intentional is up in the air, but if it was, it most definitely counts as a GambitRoulette]].
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' had a single-player mode named the Subspace Emissary that actually had a plot, and a good one too, about the various heroes banding together to stop the world being destroyed. In this mode it turned out that [[spoiler: King Dedede, of all people]] was the one with the best plan: he protected himself by [[spoiler: appearing to be a bad guy]], created a backup reserve so that if the rest of the heroes were wiped out then there could still be some left who were ignored before but could now take up the quest and incapacitated some of the other villains as he did this. He did this with [[spoiler: badges on a timer that could restore the defeated fighters he had collected for safekeeping in his castle back to life, so that they would be safe until the time was right and they were needed]]. No-one saw this coming - not even smart characters like Ganondorf. Read the above entry on ''Legend of Zelda'', and know that Ganondorf was OutGambitted by this guy.

* ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' has, of all people, [[spoiler:Kohaku - the cheerful and seemingly carefree maid who ends up single-handedly killing off the entire Tohno family in Hisui's True Ending (and comes close in the other paths too). She gives Akiha her blood to awaken the Tohno blood in her, as well as being responsible for the resultant insanity of the real SHIKI. On top of that, she leads Shiki into believing HE'S the one responsible for all the murders and that it won't stop until SHIKI dies. Oh, and during the final battle, she deliberately gets herself attacked knowing there's a good chance that Akiha will jump in the way and sacrifice herself to save her. All this while [[StepfordSmiler never letting go of that cheerful smile]], even up to her eventual suicide after her revenge is complete]].

** [[EldritchAbomination The Old Gods]] take the cake, though. First they infest the Titans' newly-created world with "the curse of flesh", causing their mechanical creations to become organic. Then they rig it so that the Titans can't actually destroy them without destroying the world alongside them, forcing them to just [[SealedEvilInACan seal the Old Gods away]]. Even that doesn't do the job so well for C'thun and Yogg-Saron...[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu which is where the players step in]]. In fact, the latter could be counted a Chessmaster among Chessmasters - even after being sealed away he manages to corrupt the wardens of his prison into loyal, if batshit insane, servants. [[spoiler:When you do fight him, he takes you on a brief guided tour of the events throughout Warcraft's history he has been responsible for, including the assassination of a king and the creation of an important MacGuffin]].

* Grand Master of the Order, Jacques de Aldersberg in ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' computer game, who [[spoiler:used crime group ''Salamandra'' along with mad wizard under his power, sparked full-scale racial war and manipulated the whole bunch of people to solidify the power of his Order - and all this just to save humanity from his vision of terrible future, which makes him into WellIntentionedExtremist as well]].
* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', has around ''three'' - [[spoiler:Joshua, who initiated the whole thing, and kept it moving whilst on the sidelines for a good portion of the game, Megumi Kitaniji, who carefully made sure that everyone was kept in the dark about his game with Joshua, whilst slowly infiltrating Shibuya with the Red-Skull pins, and finally, (possibly) Sanae Hanekoma, who popped up here and there, never letting on too much, and in the end turned out to be ''an Angel'']]. This is hardly surprising, coming from a game with a GambitPileup.

* Ryuusei Cartwright of ''Videogame/AdventureQuest'' subverts this trope; since "there is nothing to be gained in epic struggles", referring to his failed attempts of past, he speaks of playing metaphorical chess randomly, and seeing what happens.

** Gravemind displays the traits of a chessmaster throughout ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}''. Gravemind, who embodies the combined intelligence of everything ever infected by the Flood, managed milennia to turn an AI that had been specifically designed to destroy the Flood over to his side, manages to in five seconds convince the [[ChurchMilitant Arbiter]] to prevent the rings from firing, takes over the Covenant capital city, and uses the Chief and Arbiter to stop Truth from activating the Ark and destroying all life in the galaxy, just so that he could infest all life in the galaxy. When the Halo was about to fire and destroy the Flood yet again, Gravemind says that all it'll do is delay the inevitable. ''Literature/HaloSilentium'' reveals that he's also sort of responsible for [[spoiler:all the trouble the Ur-Didact causes from ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'' onward]].

* [[MagnificentBastard Revolver Ocelot]] of ''Videogame/MetalGearSolid'' was described in one FanFic as "the only person ever to successfully pull off an octuple cross". Said octuple cross must have been a pretty small operation by his standards. [[spoiler:Actually, the worst he manages ''is'' a octuple cross, betraying Colonel Gurlucovitch, Richard Ames, James Johnson, Olga Gurlucovitch, Fortune, George Sears, the Patriots and [[MindScrew the player himself. Let's put it this way, by the end of MGS4, you discover the entire series was about two competing chessmasters...both of them are Ocelot]]]].

** And then there's Kreia from ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''... words do not begin to describe... First of all, she was ''Revan's master'', and Revan may have been following ''her'' bigger plan all along. Malak becomes a SpannerInTheWorks? Fine. Just rig things up so one of Revan's top generals (The Exile) ends up walking into her trap. Then manipulate the hell out of Exile and Exile's entire party, brought together (and forced to stay together) by a combination of blackmail, lies, and [[MindRape Force bonds]]. The endgame? She's playing her chess game against ''The Force itself!'' She blatantly admits what she's doing, too. ''"no game of dejarik'' [{{StarWars}}'s answer to chess] ''can be won without pawns."'' indeed.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'''s Yukari Yakumo, especially evident in ''Manga/TouhouBougetsushou'' where she pulls a BatmanGambit on [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Remilia Scarlet]] and a KansasCityShuffle on the [[SpaceElves Lunarians]] in order to [[BreakTheHaughty put the fear of the unknown]] into the resident {{Physical God}}dess of Knowledge.

** [[{{WMG/Warcraft}} One interpretation]] of the events of ''Warcraft III'' is that Kil'jaeden created the Lich King knowing that it would betray Archimonde (his counterpart and co-leader of the Burning Legion), leading in Archimonde's death and Kil'jaeden becoming the absolute ruler of the demons.

* In the final assassination mission of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'', [[spoiler:Robert de Sable reveals that Al-Mualim has been manipulating Altaïr into killing everyone who knew the secrets of the Piece of Eden, so that none could challenge him when he would use it to take over the Holy Land]]. In his final moments, he comments that everyone, including Altaïr and the other Templars, were just "pawns in his grand game."

* [[ManipulativeBastard Lord Fain]] of ''{{VideoGame/Lusternia}}''. Ostracised by his fellows Gods eons ago for his [[IDidWhatIHadToDo questionable]] [[CannibalismSuperpower methods]], upon his return to the First World he adopts the guise of a shadowy manipulator, using mortals and other Gods as tools to carry out his complex plans. Though progress through his service is characterized by chess motifs, it's just flattery designed to ingratiate him to his more competent followers - to Fain, ''everyone'' is a pawn.
* ''VisualNovel/MajiDeWatashiNiKoiShinasai'' refreshingly has the main protagonist, Yamato, be a {{Chessmaster}}. Touma is the 2-S equivalent and the two have a [[TheRival rivalry]] of sorts.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'''s Yukari Yakumo, especially evident in ''Manga/TouhouBougetsushou'' where she pulls a BatmanGambit on [[{{Vampire}} Remilia Scarlet]] and a KansasCityShuffle on the [[SpaceElves Lunarians]] in order to [[BreakTheHaughty put the fear of the unknown]] into the resident {{Physical God}}dess of Knowledge.

* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': Ivo is quite quick to adjust his plans to unforeseen issues. [[spoiler:Plan to to poison father-in-law results in own father being poisoned? Blame father-in-law for poisoning and withdraw military support until he can prove he's not the murderer. Father-in-law executes believable scapegoat? How about just not showing up at the battle for which the military support was needed in the first place and letting the enemy do the job? Father-in-law wins battle anyway because there was an avalanche and the handful of survivors happened to be on his side? Accuse father-in-law of witchcraft and use it as an excuse to go directly at war with him.]]

* ''VisualNovel/MajiDeWatashiNiKoiShinasai'' refreshingly has the main {{protagonist}}, Yamato, be a {{Chessmaster}}. Touma is the 2-S equivalent and the two have a [[TheRival rivalry]] of sorts.

* In the ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' universe, LeBlanc the Deceiver has been manipulating events and fooling people using her powers of illusion long before even the empire of Noxus has existed.

** The prosecutors of the original trilogy, (excluding Winston Payne) also seem to have Chessmaster-ish qualities, Edgeworth even has a chess set in his office with a suspiciously spiky blue pawn.

* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' has a rare example of the Chessmaster actually being a good guy. [[spoiler:Belthasar]] manipulated 10,000 years of history across multiple parallel dimensions to make sure the protagonist would acquire the (eponymous) ultimate item needed to completely destroy the Big Bad.

** Gravemind displays the traits of a chessmaster throughout ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}''. Gravemind, who embodies the combined intelligence of everything ever infected by the Flood, managed milennia to turn an AI that had been specifically designed to destroy the Flood over to his side, manages to in five seconds convince the [[ChurchMilitant Arbiter]] to prevent the rings from firing, takes over the Covenant capital city, and uses the Chief and Arbiter to stop Truth from activating the Ark and destroying all life in the galaxy, just so that he could infest all life in the galaxy. When the Halo was about to fire and destroy the Flood yet again, Gravemind says that all it'll do is delay the inevitable. [[spoiler:''Literature/HaloSilentium'' reveals that he's also sort of responsible for all the trouble the Ur-Didact causes from ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'' onward.]]

In the ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' universe, LeBlanc the Deceiver has been manipulating events and fooling people using her powers of illusion long before even the empire of Noxus has existed.

** In ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigations 2'', the chess motif becomes literal, with Edgeworth engaging in "Logic Chess" to get people to talk. There's also a witness who is obsessed with chess, and another who plays long-distance chess with the former. [[spoiler:The real {{Chessmaster}} of the game is the former's best friend and the latter's protege, and the one acting as courier for their games. Amusingly, he himself doesn't particularly like chess. He does, however, take the grandmaster title for the role, masterminding every murder in the game save one and manipulating most of the cast to do his bidding]].