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