Tropescilloscope: The Chessmaster

A character who is exceptionally skilled at manipulating events to their advantage using gambits that rely on subtlety and misdirection (much like in Chess). (read more at tvtropes.org)

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More Tropes Catch-Phrase Deconstruction Extreme Doormat Pimped-Out Dress Gorn What You Are in the Dark Flashback Zombie Stories The Load Accidental Misnaming Large Ham Double Entendre A God Am I Central Theme Adorkable Dressing as the Enemy Face–Heel Turn Heroic Sacrifice Karmic Death Love Triangle More Dakka Anachronism Stew The Mole Groin Attack Big Bad Male Frontal Nudity Pragmatic Adaptation Foreshadowing Outrun the Fireball Spared by the Adaptation Ambiguous Ending Love at First Sight Rated M for Manly Ax-Crazy The Power of Love A Minor Kidroduction Eagleland The End... Or Is It? Cool Old Lady Rule of Three Cain and Abel Hypocrite Cool Car Batman Gambit The Un-Reveal Earn Your Happy Ending Evil Is Hammy Fate Worse than Death After the End "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Ungrateful Bastard Decoy Protagonist Morality Pet Horror Comedy Disappeared Dad Fish out of Water Tagline Evil Counterpart Historical-Domain Character Red Eyes, Take Warning Hollywood Law Expository Hairstyle Change Japanese Films Evil Brit Character Development All Just a Dream The Chessmaster No Good Deed Goes Unpunished O.O.C. Is Serious Business Closed Circle Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? Bloodless Carnage Science Fiction Films Dramatic Gun Cock Evil Plan Our Vampires Are Different The Chick What the Hell, Hero? Jump Scare Gory Discretion Shot Reasonable Authority Figure Broken Pedestal Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Hell Is That Noise Armor-Piercing Question The Ghost A.I. Is a Crapshoot Gratuitous English Race Lift Imagine Spot Humiliation Conga The Quiet One Dying Moment of Awesome Victoria's Secret Compartment Anachronic Order Ass Shove Domestic Abuse Action Genre Damsel in Distress Jitter Cam Faux Affably Evil Lampshade Hanging Drives Like Crazy Not Even Bothering with the Accent Call-Forward Failed a Spot Check Sealed Evil in a Can Insane Troll Logic Eiffel Tower Effect Loads and Loads of Characters Suddenly SHOUTING! Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies Guns Akimbo Scary Black Man Insistent Terminology Refuge in Audacity Needs Wiki Magic Love Serious Business Taking You with Me Funny Foreigner Face Death with Dignity Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Cloudcuckoolander Chekhov's Gunman Canadian Movies And Starring Killed Mid-Sentence Red Right Hand BFG Black and Gray Morality Arranged Marriage Bar Brawl Video Credits Eyepatch of Power Television Movie Index Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Getting Crap Past the Radar Flipping the Bird Shipper on Deck Blackmail Sequel Hook Book-Ends Abusive Parents "Well Done, Son!" Guy Intergenerational Friendship One Steve Limit Humans Are Bastards An Aesop Jerk with a Heart of Gold Aside Glance Villainous Breakdown Well-Intentioned Extremist Casting Gag Half the Man He Used to Be The '70s Celebrity Paradox Homage Bottomless Magazines Famous Last Words Setting Update Undying Loyalty Freudian Excuse Adapted Out Guile Hero Kill 'em All Shut Up, Hannibal! Breaking the Fourth Wall Mistaken for Gay Spiritual Successor Posthumous Character Exactly What It Says on the Tin Agony of the Feet Gainax Ending Monumental Damage Children Are Innocent Manic Pixie Dream Girl Hope Spot Dark and Troubled Past Stylistic Suck MacGuffin Precision F-Strike Fainting Funny Background Event Manly Tears Not What It Looks Like The Mafia Left the Background Music On Same Language Dub Mundane Made Awesome The Alcoholic Drowning My Sorrows Deus ex Machina She's Got Legs Sci-Fi Horror Rule of Funny Cool Old Guy One-Word Title No Antagonist Bare Your Midriff Screw This, I'm Outta Here! Blatant Lies Comically Missing the Point Rasputinian Death Nice Hat Adult Fear Romantic False Lead Mood Whiplash Smoking Is Cool Soft Glass The Starscream Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy Badass Longcoat Paper-Thin Disguise Anti-Villain Serial Killer Downer Ending Adaptation Dye-Job Works Set in World War II And I Must Scream No Name Given Irony Slasher Movie Recycled IN SPACE! Does This Remind You of Anything? Eye Scream Final Girl As Himself Based on a True Story The Remake Taking the Bullet Meet Cute Not So Above It All Hidden Depths Scenery Porn Defrosting Ice Queen Vomit Indiscretion Shot Your Cheating Heart Death of a Child Break the Haughty Film Noir Non-Indicative Name "Shaggy Dog" Story Curse Cut Short Big Bad Duumvirate NO INDOOR VOICE Cluster F-Bomb Blood from the Mouth Instant Death Bullet Psycho for Hire Moment Killer As You Know Scenery Gorn Air-Vent Passageway Red Herring Dramedy Determinator aka: The Determinator Greater-Scope Villain Insult Backfire Hero Antagonist Belligerent Sexual Tension Evil Is Petty Unusually Uninteresting Sight I Want My Beloved to Be Happy Bad "Bad Acting" British Films You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! Captain Obvious Card-Carrying Villain Villain Opening Scene Not Quite Dead Police are Useless Roger Ebert: Great Movies List Amoral Attorney Sexy Discretion Shot No-Sell He Who Fights Monsters The X of Y No Ending Redshirt Army Laughing Mad Bi the Way '80s Hair Token Minority All There in the Script Peek-a-Boo Corpse Does Not Like Shoes The Dreaded Eldritch Abomination Cold-Blooded Torture Novelization The '90s Dark Is Not Evil Fantasy Films Creative Closing Credits Immune to Bullets Darker and Edgier Daddy's Girl Almost Kiss Sanity Slippage "Awesome McCool" Name Punch-Clock Villain Have a Gay Old Time Friend to All Children Last-Name Basis Epic Fail Really Gets Around Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! As the Good Book Says... Meaningful Name Heel–Face Turn Leaning on the Fourth Wall Up to Eleven Make It Look Like an Accident Department of Redundancy Department Male Gaze Chekhov's Skill Five-Man Band Never Found the Body Visual Pun Grey and Gray Morality Foil Gone Horribly Right The Cavalry Intrepid Reporter No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Product Placement Training Montage Protagonist Title Author Appeal You Have Outlived Your Usefulness Obviously Evil The Bully Bilingual Bonus Death by Adaptation Retcon The Musical The Dog Bites Back The Stinger Dirty Old Man Impaled with Extreme Prejudice Unwitting Instigator of Doom Bunny-Ears Lawyer Creepy Child An Arm and a Leg Only in It for the Money Costume Porn May–December Romance Hero of Another Story La Résistance Horror Films Dirty Cop Word of God Bland-Name Product The Hero Dies Only a Flesh Wound No OSHA Compliance Romantic Comedy Shoot the Shaggy Dog Roaring Rampage of Revenge Toplessness from the Back In Name Only Truth in Television World of Ham Evil vs. Evil Artistic License – Biology Mooks Alas, Poor Villain Sir Swears-a-Lot Rich Bitch Cruel and Unusual Death How We Got Here Big Brother Instinct Worthy Opponent Dumb Blonde Implacable Man Exact Words Dies Wide Open The Sociopath Smug Snake Big "NO!" Jerkass Has a Point My Greatest Failure Mighty Whitey Stepford Smiler Lighter and Softer Off-into-the-Distance Ending Nice Guy It Can Think "The Reason You Suck" Speech Frame-Up Crazy Jealous Guy Plot Hole Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer Older Than They Look Gilligan Cut Distracted by the Sexy Unspoken Plan Guarantee Covers Always Lie Facial Horror Affably Evil Politically Incorrect Villain Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking Beauty Is Never Tarnished Even Evil Has Standards I Did What I Had to Do Logo Joke A Date with Rosie Palms Beta Couple Happily Married Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? Blonde, Brunette, Redhead Deal with the Devil Title Drop Alliterative Name Genre Savvy Vampire Fiction Skewed Priorities Soundtrack Dissonance Dirty Coward What Happened to the Mouse? Heroes Want Redheads Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! Defiant to the End Take That! Screw the Money, I Have Rules! Maybe Ever After This Is Gonna Suck Star-Crossed Lovers Camera Abuse Spiteful Spit Reckless Gun Usage Informed Ability Four-Temperament Ensemble It's Personal Artistic License – Geography Mexican Standoff Punny Name Reality Ensues Stalker with a Crush Advertised Extra He Knows Too Much Police Brutality It's All About Me The Faceless Destination Defenestration Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism Wham Shot Big-Bad Ensemble Chuck Cunningham Syndrome Would Hurt a Child Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience Woman in White Together in Death Despair Event Horizon Drill Sergeant Nasty Pet the Dog Jerk Jock Deadpan Snarker Dual Wielding Bavarian Fire Drill Bad Boss The '50s Jerkass Anguished Declaration of Love Chewing the Scenery 20 Minutes into the Future Broken Aesop For Want of a Nail Girl-on-Girl Is Hot Naked People Are Funny Arc Words I Have Your Wife The Voiceless Curb-Stomp Battle The Brute Combat Pragmatist Stock Footage Mythology Gag Action Survivor Brutal Honesty Death Seeker Mind Screw German Films Not So Different Artistic License – Law Adaptation Expansion Knight Templar Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique Let's Get Dangerous! Rape as Drama Stuff Blowing Up Here We Go Again! Faking the Dead All for Nothing Music Stories The Dragon Slasher Smile The Lost Lenore Shout-Out Auto Erotica Bound and Gagged Contrived Coincidence Adaptational Villainy Chase Scene Artistic License – Physics Self-Deprecation Anyone Can Die Papa Wolf Put on a Bus Bait-and-Switch The Stoner Chiaroscuro Cool Guns Unresolved Sexual Tension Hate Sink Spanner in the Works Totally Radical Those Two Bad Guys Bowdlerise Establishing Character Moment Married to the Job Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor Badass Grandpa Missing Mom Overprotective Dad Translation Convention Suspiciously Specific Denial I'm a Humanitarian Storming the Castle Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality Chekhov's Gun Idiot Ball Names to Run Away from Really Fast Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Black Best Friend Wicked Cultured Redemption Equals Death Villain Protagonist Italian Films Race Against the Clock Real Life Reality Is Unrealistic Bullying a Dragon Empathic Environment Sequel Escalation I Need a Freaking Drink Kill It with Fire Cassandra Truth Pre-Mortem One-Liner Mama Bear Brother–Sister Incest Bury Your Gays Actually Pretty Funny Punctuated! For! Emphasis! Bloody Hilarious Anti-Hero Animal Title Index True Companions Aluminum Christmas Trees Hoist by His Own Petard Kubrick Stare Expy Ironic Echo Handicapped Badass Adaptation Distillation Ominous Latin Chanting Annoying Younger Sibling Never Trust a Trailer Pretty Little Headshots Villain Ball Superhero Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome Extremely Short Timespan Cat Fight Super Strength Fingore Black Comedy Rape Crapsack World Becoming the Mask B-Movie The Film of the Book Pragmatic Villainy Ambiguously Gay Took a Level in Badass Demonic Possession Room Full of Crazy Deliberately Monochrome Genre Shift Fun with Acronyms Didn't Think This Through The Alleged Car All Men Are Perverts Shower Scene Only One Name Authority Equals Asskicking Pay Evil unto Evil Rousing Speech My Beloved Smother Re-Cut Hong Kong Films Easily Forgiven Mercy Kill Heel Realization Kick the Dog Beard of Evil Dissonant Serenity Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Dutch Angle Catapult Nightmare Adaptational Attractiveness Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Adaptation Name Change Evil Sounds Deep Overly Long Gag Neck Snap Badass in a Nice Suit Enemy Mine Bolivian Army Ending folderlabel Death Glare Shirtless Scene Everyone Has Standards Fanservice Butt-Monkey Break the Cutie Random Events Plot Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Throwing Your Sword Always Works Obfuscating Stupidity Deliberate Values Dissonance Big Fancy House Scare Chord Tranquil Fury War Is Hell Heroic BSoD Broken Bird Sadistic Choice The Place Action Prologue Knife Nut Fan Disservice Unusual Euphemism Laser-Guided Karma Cool Shades The Reveal Rewatch Bonus Trailers Always Spoil Fantastic Racism Ghost Fiction Bitch in Sheep's Clothing Meaningful Background Event All Girls Want Bad Boys Dwindling Party Hollywood Darkness Wounded Gazelle Gambit Diabolus ex Machina Body Horror Arch-Enemy Honor Before Reason The Oner Depraved Bisexual Bittersweet Ending Only Known by Their Nickname Crucified Hero Shot Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! It Will Never Catch On Credits Gag Animal Motifs Adaptational Badass Show Within a Show From Bad to Worse Off with His Head! Disney Villain Death Suspiciously Similar Substitute Mr. Exposition Playing Gertrude Mugging the Monster Asshole Victim Artistic License – History Rule of Cool Fake Shemp Mystery and Detective Films Fiery Redhead Brainless Beauty Christmas Movies Index Back from the Dead Narrator Dark Action Girl In Medias Res Red Oni, Blue Oni The Bad Guy Wins Biopic Ragtag Bunch of Misfits Car Fu Real Life Writes the Plot Villain Song Say My Name Stealth Hi/Bye Improbable Weapon User Shell-Shocked Veteran Big Applesauce Lock and Load Montage Naïve Newcomer The Casanova Wretched Hive Coming-of-Age Story Author Avatar Disney Death Unreliable Narrator Parental Incest The Stoic Bond Villain Stupidity Line-of-Sight Name Only Sane Man Not Using the "Z" Word Early Installment Weirdness Hypocritical Humor Oh, Crap! Sassy Black Woman Did Not Get the Girl Psychological Thriller Crazy-Prepared Black Comedy Ms. Fanservice Kids Are Cruel Cat Scare Better to Die than Be Killed Red Shirt One-Man Army Action Girl Demoted to Extra Danny Peary Cult Movies List Blood Knight Public Domain Feature Films Those Two Guys An Axe to Grind Martial Arts Movie Military and Warfare Films Leitmotif The Great Depression I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Evil-Detecting Dog Vacation Films Fire-Forged Friends Documentary Hair-Trigger Temper Disguised in Drag Wham Line Improvised Weapon Malevolent Masked Men Betty and Veronica Disproportionate Retribution Twist Ending Neck Lift Reality Has No Subtitles A Father to His Men The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite Pyrrhic Victory Our Zombies Are Different Interrupted Suicide Good Is Not Nice Framing Device Bald of Evil Fatal Flaw Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other Men Are the Expendable Gender Riddle for the Ages Plucky Comic Relief The Smurfette Principle The Vamp Eureka Moment Important Haircut Big Damn Heroes Fanservice Extra Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil Mad Scientist Parental Substitute Sacrificial Lion Apocalypse How Shown Their Work Continuity Nod Every Car Is a Pinto Loophole Abuse Award-Bait Song French Films Sinister Minister Wrong Genre Savvy Stealth Pun Very Loosely Based on a True Story Dogged Nice Guy Bring My Brown Pants And the Adventure Continues Death by Sex Adaptational Heroism All There in the Manual Ripped from the Headlines Poor Communication Kills Woman Scorned Attempted Rape Accidental Murder Offscreen Moment of Awesome Dark Reprise Take a Third Option Creator Cameo She Cleans Up Nicely Film Noir Index Once More, with Clarity! For the Evulz Ship Tease Not So Stoic Manipulative Bastard Ascended Extra Pretty in Mink Foregone Conclusion Those Wacky Nazis Darkest Hour Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas The '60s Fourth Date Marriage Affectionate Parody Daylight Horror Man on Fire Sole Survivor Silence Is Golden Villain with Good Publicity Hooker with a Heart of Gold Never My Fault Parental Abandonment Too Dumb to Live The Hero Heterosexual Life-Partners Obstructive Bureaucrat Freeze-Frame Bonus Manchild Gender Flip Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" Index of Film Westerns The Smart Guy Determinator Historical In-Joke Genre Throwback Artistic License – Military Adults Are Useless There Is No Kill Like Overkill Brick Joke Due to the Dead Get Out! From Nobody to Nightmare Film Series The Lancer Straight Gay Boom, Headshot! Historical Hero Upgrade Running Gag Major Injury Underreaction Improbable Aiming Skills You Killed My Father The Atoner Your Head A-Splode Vitriolic Best Buds Epic Movie Ambiguous Disorder Match Cut Awesome, but Impractical Femme Fatale Double-Meaning Title Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Made of Iron Meaningful Echo You Have Failed Me Age Lift Badass Boast Gold Digger Madness Mantra Nothing Is Scarier Historical Villain Upgrade Corrupt Corporate Executive Babies Ever After Corpsing Antagonist Title Revenge Rule of Symbolism Time Skip Country Matters Offscreen Teleportation N-Word Privileges Even Evil Has Loved Ones Slap-Slap-Kiss Properly Paranoid Silent Movie Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Whole Plot Reference Beware the Nice Ones Leave the Camera Running Animated Credits Opening Call-Back Made of Explodium Slashed Throat Artistic License – Gun Safety Grievous Bottley Harm As Long as It Sounds Foreign Amusing Injuries Captain Ersatz The Big Guy Driven to Suicide Badass Normal Big Eater Actor Allusion Calling the Old Man Out Black Dude Dies First Cowboy Cop Vomit Discretion Shot Small Name, Big Ego Market-Based Title Would Hit a Girl Dramatic Irony Russian Films Parental Neglect Death by Irony Australian Movies timeperiod Sports Stories Be Careful What You Wish For Alpha Bitch Light Is Not Good Composite Character The Ace Abhorrent Admirer Canon Foreigner Badass Bookworm Dull Surprise Green-Eyed Monster Psychopathic Manchild Camp Gay Evil Laugh Conspicuous CG Fat Bastard Tempting Fate Henpecked Husband Kick the Son of a Bitch Mr. Fanservice Early-Bird Cameo Motor Mouth Took a Level in Jerkass Yandere Berserk Button Screw the Rules, I Have Money! In the Back Dropped a Bridge on Him Karma Houdini Retirony The '80s No Celebrities Were Harmed Developing Doomed Characters Retired Badass Noodle Incident My God, What Have I Done? Tap on the Head Spell My Name with an "S" Bloodier and Gorier The Ditz The Cameo Fatal Family Photo Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Thriller Drugs Are Bad Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Bond One-Liner