History TheChessmaster / FanWorks

* Subverted in ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust''. Gendo ''thinks'' he knows what's going on and that everyone can easily be manipulated to forward his goals, while being entirely unaware that he pretty much lost the second that Rei was ordered to hang out with Shinji and Asukua. Even if he could recover from that, every other major character is actively working against him, and he's none the wiser.
* Professor Vee in ''FanFic/AnonymoosesMonsterGirlSaga''. Joining Count Aaron's forces against Yaleria? A distraction allowing him to uncover the Tower of Babel; essentially a doomsday device for all of Yaleria. Equipping The Count with nigh invulnerable PoweredArmor? Just a test subject for his latest golem model, which glitches out at the worst possible moment for Aaron. Killing Nerick, another nigh invulnerable character right before he kills Laven? He only did just to steal the void crystal, the key for the Tower of Babel. Well done, Vee.
* ''FanFic/BreakYourHeart'': Scootaloo, of all ponies. She carefully attempts to manipulate everything around her to better her chances of getting Rainbow.
* Fan novelization of ''Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' titled ''Fanfic/BreathOfTheWild'' turns the Golden Goddesses and Goddess Hylia into these, and very patient ones in that [[spoiler: they all set up a 10,000-year LongGame dedicated to finally ending Demise's ancient evil curse on the land. Apparently, every event seen and unseen in the time between Calamity Ganon's initial encounter 10,000 years prior to the Great Calamity was part of the Goddess's LongGame.]]
* Calvin slowly develops into this over the course of ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries''.
* ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a truly epic GambitPileUp (it is the only work of ''any'' kind to have its own [[GambitPileUp/ChildOfTheStorm Gambit Pile-Up page]]), meaning that ''loads'' of characters are this trope.

* That to prior knowledge that Consensus has of events [[TheOmniscient that had and will occur]], every single [[PlayerCharacter Host]] in every iteration of the ''{{Roleplay/Communication}}'' quest becomes this quite easily. Thanks to the guidance of their backer, each one them are able to twist, bend, arrange, and/or guide events to their advantage. Every action they take makes sure to obtain and strengthen allies they otherwise wouldn't have gotten in the first place, cripple or outright take out key enemies that could most definitely cause problems in the long run, all the while elevating their powerbase far further than the positions their canon incarnations ended up in.
* In the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' fanfic ''The Council Era'', the advisor to the Krogan Overlord, Halak Marr, definitely qualifies as a Chessmaster. In order to bolster his army in preparation for the war with the Citadel, [[spoiler:Marr preserved specimens of the dezba (who would naturally have retained a major grudge against the Citadel over their people's genocide) and began a project to resurrect a dezban chieftain, a la Project Lazarus in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'']]. As mentioned on the UnwittingPawn page, he usurped his superior in order to enact his dreams of the krogan as a MasterRace. He successfully forced Tyrin Lieph to allow his people to take a majority in the Citadel military and give the krogan a Council seat through an excellently-executed plan. He also antagonized the already fragile relationship between the manaba people and the Citadel by faking an attempt on his life by manaban extremists.
* ''FanFic/ErasedPotential'' [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs the concept]] with Nedzu. Upon becoming aware of Izuku's existence, he immediately starts weaving plans around him, such as pointing Toshinori in his direction while hinting that he could be a potential candidate for One For All... despite being well aware that Izuku intends to become a Quirkless superhero. His various manipulations make Izuku increasingly paranoid, and seriously undermine others' ability to ''trust'' the principal. Even his own staff start regarding him with suspicion and disgust.
* [[ManipulativeBastard Checker]] [[TheSociopath Monarch]], the BigBad of ''FanFic/GettingBackOnYourHooves'', who uses a chess board (chess itself being described at one point as her favorite game) as a representation of her plans to ruin [[spoiler: her sister]] Trixie's life. Her full first name is actually Checkmate as well.
* In ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'', we have.. everyone, really. The adult chessmasters are Lucius Malfoy, Dumbledore, and Quirrel, while the kid ones are Draco and Harry, but everyone has at least some elements. The adults also give a good view on different ways this trope can be played: [[CharacterAlignment Lawful]] Lucius prefers the XanatosGambit approach, controlling events until the only possible outcomes are one or two he predicted, which will benefit him. The more chaotic Dumbledore and Quirrel, however, prefer to just stack dominoes in their favor, and when everything starts to fall apart, [[XanatosSpeedChess move quickly to take advantage]]. Draco takes after his father, while Harry is learning from Dumbledore and Quirrel.

* ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeason1'': Tarakudo proves himself to be an expert manipulator in the chapter "Challenges in Leadership", the author's notes for which make sure to acknowledge it. To wit, [[spoiler: he prods the [[TheStarscream treacherous]] Cedric and Daolon Wong to [[VillainTeamUp team up]] to usurp Phobos, while pretending to be on their side, only to then rat them out to Phobos in order to gain the Prince's confidence and convince him to [[WeCanRuleTogether join Tarakudo in a stronger alliance]]]].

* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'', Kyon is most definitely a Chessmaster, often using chess metaphors as he makes strategies.
* Prince Jewelius in ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost''. In order to usurp his aunt Princess Celestia as Equestria's ruler, he [[spoiler:sets the events of "A Canterlot Wedding" in motion by allying with Queen Chrysalis and helping her steal Princess Cadance's identity. However, as he becomes acquainted with Twilight Sparkle and witnesses the canon PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure, he [[XanatosSpeedChess devices a new plan]] and betrays the Changelings by helping Twilight and Cadance out of the crystal caves right before the invasion begins. He makes Twilight use [[ChekhovsGun the shrinking spell he showed her earlier]] to stop the Changelings, and he immediately afterwards [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste tricks the shaken ponies]] to blame all the other heroes for the invasion, successfully turning the public against them and making himself [[VillainWithGoodPublicity "Holy King Jewelius I"]]]]. However, [[SmugSnake Jewelius]] soon trips up by unnecessarily scheming a set of events that includes [[spoiler:luring the banished heroes back to Canterlot and [[JustBetweenYouAndMe telling them everything about his evil actions]]]] because he wants to [[spoiler:kill Cadance and Celestia]].
** The canonical Queen Chrysalis [[spoiler:escapes from Canterlot's dungeons with her army and leaves one disguised Changeling behind to help Twilight (after she has come to her senses) escape to Ponyville with her parents and the Elements of Harmony. After Jewelius is cornered by the heroes, Chrysalis appears and has her Changelings kill the traitor, attempting then to subdue the heroes who are exhausted from fighting his minions. Unfortunately for her, Shining Armor and Cadance blast the entire Changeling army out of Equestria by Twilight's suggestion]].

* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': Subverted. [[PeggySue Shinji and Asuka]] try to use their knowledge of the future and of NERV and SEELE's goals to outwit them and avert TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, but they're ''not'' Gendo Ikari and he eventually figures their secret out. Though they do have some small successes here and there, such as playing matchmaker for Toji and Hikari.

!!Examples With Chess Motifs
* [[ManipulativeBastard Checker]] [[TheSociopath Monarch]], the BigBad of ''FanFic/GettingBackOnYourHooves'', who uses a chess board (chess itself being described at one point as her favorite game) as a representation of her plans to ruin [[spoiler: her sister]] Trixie's life. Her full first name is actually Checkmate as well.
* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'', Kyon is most definitely a Chessmaster, often using chess metaphors as he makes strategies.
* [[EldritchAbomination Herald]], BigBad of ''FanFic/TheStarsWillAidTheirEscape''. He drops a few chess metaphors over the course of the story, as he manipulates ''everyone'' to follow his plan.
* ''FanFic/JewelOfDarkness'': The mysterious leader of [[TheConspiracy the White Glove]] qualifies as one of these, and is even seen playing a game with ComicBook/VandalSavage at one point. Notably, Savage warns him that it's harder to treat people like pieces, as life isn't as simple as a chess game.
** Midnight also counts, having learned the art of manipulation from Slade.
* Having a drastically expanded role compared to his [[Recap/DigimonAdventure02E13TheCallOfDagomon original appearance]], Dragomon from ''FanFic/Zero2ARevision'' has a giant chessboard that he uses to monitor the movements of the Digidestined and the other dark forces that the Digidestined are currently facing, patiently waiting for his next move to absorb the ''Child of Light''.
* Celestia in ''Fanfic/RitesOfAscension'', who admits that due to working on her own for a millennium, it is hard to counsel with other ponies, even her own sister (who admits to sometimes feeling like just another piece on the board), discussing the matter with Twilight over a chessboard. (Notably, said discussion comes immediately after said tendency has circled back around to bite her in the cutie mark and upend her own plans, with Twilight calling her out on it.) She also notes Council Chairpony Charlemane as being similarly gifted (and that the two of them have had many worthy battles in both chess and the political arena).
* In ''Fanfic/OnceMoreWithFeeling'' Gendo and SEELE are joined (and opposed) by Original character Major General Shigeru Ishiba, the Director of the Japanese Defense Agency (Intelligence).
-->The UN, formerly a simple world forum with delusions of power was, in half a decade turned into a powerful body with delusions that it was a world forum as SEELE moved the pieces on its chess board patiently, taking control behind the scenes to divert the resources they needed to GEHIRN and then NERV and the Human Instrumentality Project.

!!Examples Without Chess Motifs
* The WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic crossover story ''FanFic/AHollowInEquestria'' portrays Princess Celestia as attempting to be this, and failing miserably at every turn.
* [[http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Jordan179 Jordan179]]'s "The Shadow Wars" WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic verse depicts ''both'' Major Alicorn Princesses of Equestria as this, especially Celestia. In ''FanFic/NightmaresAreTragic'', a rewrite of ''The Elements of Harmony'' from Nightmare Moon's perspective, Princess Luna is well aware of her sister's cunning and as Nightmare Moon plays (and loses) a very complicated game of XanatosSpeedChess with Celestia playing by proxy through the Mane Six; the final act of which sees Princess Luna [[spoiler:realizing that she's a ''slave'' to the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Night]] [[DemonicPossession Shadows]] and fighting and a [[FightingFromTheInside battle within]] against the Shadow, paralyzing Nightmare Moon long enough for the Mane Six to destroy the Shadow with the [[CareBearStare Elements of Harmony]]]]. In ''FanFic/AnExtendedPerformance'', we get to see the same Longest Night from the perspective of ''Celestia'', who not only had the Apples found Ponyville a century ago just to have a place to breed potential Element-Bearers, but has complex contingency plans for the event of the Mane Six ''failing.'' Celestia even describes herself in her own thoughts as a "smiling schemer."

* Calvin slowly develops into this over the course of ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries''.
* In ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'', we have.. everyone, really. The adult chessmasters are Lucius Malfoy, Dumbledore, and Quirrel, while the kid ones are Draco and Harry, but everyone has at least some elements. The adults also give a good view on different ways this trope can be played: [[CharacterAlignment Lawful]] Lucius prefers the XanatosGambit approach, controlling events until the only possible outcomes are one or two he predicted, which will benefit him. The more chaotic Dumbledore and Quirrel, however, prefer to just stack dominoes in their favor, and when everything starts to fall apart, [[XanatosSpeedChess move quickly to take advantage]]. Draco takes after his father, while Harry is learning from Dumbledore and Quirrel.
-->'''Quirrell:''' In your future career, Mr. Zabini, I do not suggest trying any plots that complicated. They have a tendency to fail.
-->'''Blaise:''' Um, I said that to the Headmaster, actually, and he said that was why it was important to have more than one plot going at a time.
* In the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' fanfic ''The Council Era'', the advisor to the Krogan Overlord, Halak Marr, definitely qualifies as a Chessmaster. In order to bolster his army in preparation for the war with the Citadel, [[spoiler:Marr preserved specimens of the dezba (who would naturally have retained a major grudge against the Citadel over their people's genocide) and began a project to resurrect a dezban chieftain, a la Project Lazarus in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'']]. As mentioned on the UnwittingPawn page, he usurped his superior in order to enact his dreams of the krogan as a MasterRace. He successfully forced Tyrin Lieph to allow his people to take a majority in the Citadel military and give the krogan a Council seat through an excellently-executed plan. He also antagonized the already fragile relationship between the manaba people and the Citadel by faking an attempt on his life by manaban extremists.
* ''Fanfic/SoulChess'' used to focus on Lelouch and Aizen trying to [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny fight for control over the Soul Society]]. [[spoiler: Lelouch wins, but Aizen comes back from Hell for Round 2]].
* [[spoiler: Jeft]] in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached''. [[spoiler: He maneuvered three of the four into getting their major magic, set up the entire Vasyn quest, fooled the other Fans into thinking it was real by having an AI play the Dalns gods, and moved the Vasyn pieces into “entertaining” places for the four to struggle with. He was so overconfident that during the quest for the third piece, he openly forced the four to travel with his best character, the Hunter, which finally clued Varx and Shag into his duplicity]].
* A number of characters in ''FanFic/TheInfiniteLoops'' can outwit nonlooping characters easily, but this trope really comes into play when the loopers have some form of competition with each other.

* In ''[[FanFic/TheVinylAndOctaviaSeries Vinyl and Octavia Duel Destiny]]'', [[spoiler: Winter Snow]] reveals at the end that they were behind the events of the last two stories, with nopony realising so.

* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': Subverted. [[PeggySue Shinji and Asuka]] try to use their knowledge of the future and of NERV and SEELE's goals to outwit them and avert TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, but they're ''not'' Gendo Ikari and he eventually figures their secret out. Though they do have some small successes here and there, such as playing matchmaker for Toji and Hikari.

* ''FanFic/BreakYourHeart'': Scootaloo, of all ponies. She carefully attempts to manipulate everything around her to better her chances of getting Rainbow.
* Subverted in ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust''. Gendo ''thinks'' he knows what's going on and that everyone can easily be manipulated to forward his goals, while being entirely unaware that he pretty much lost the second that Rei was ordered to hang out with Shinji and Asukua. Even if he could recover from that, every other major character is actively working against him, and he's none the wiser.
* ''FanFic/ThePiecesLieWhereTheyFell'': [[spoiler: Balance, who's been manipulating the situation for years - among other things, he guided events to make sure all six of the new Bearers would be in Canterlot at the right time, even if it meant disrupting their relationships with their families or other loved ones, and ensured Sharp Point and his gang would find the Bearers to give Night Blade his final chance at earning his Element.]]
* Professor Vee in ''FanFic/AnonymoosesMonsterGirlSaga''. Joining Count Aaron's forces against Yaleria? A distraction allowing him to uncover the Tower of Babel; essentially a doomsday device for all of Yaleria. Equipping The Count with nigh invulnerable PoweredArmor? Just a test subject for his latest golem model, which glitches out at the worst possible moment for Aaron. Killing Nerick, another nigh invulnerable character right before he kills Laven? He only did just to steal the void crystal, the key for the Tower of Babel. Well done, Vee.
* That to prior knowledge that Consensus has of events [[TheOmniscient that had and will occur]], every single [[PlayerCharacter Host]] in every iteration of the ''{{Roleplay/Communication}}'' quest becomes this quite easily. Thanks to the guidance of their backer, each one them are able to twist, bend, arrange, and/or guide events to their advantage. Every action they take makes sure to obtain and strengthen allies they otherwise wouldn't have gotten in the first place, cripple or outright take out key enemies that could most definitely cause problems in the long run, all the while elevating their powerbase far further than the positions their canon incarnations ended up in.
* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things behind the scenes: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to rally more and more allies to her cause and spread the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows that she's facing off against some [[HiddenVillain unknown force]] - so far only named as the Elder One by [[CultOfPersonality its followers]] - that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple and major factions from the shadows]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion. Currently, the Elder One is playing a mean game of XanatosSpeedChess thanks to the ''giant'' wrench in the EvilPlan due to [[SpannerInTheWorks Arturia's interference]].
* Prince Jewelius in ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost''. In order to usurp his aunt Princess Celestia as Equestria's ruler, he [[spoiler:sets the events of "A Canterlot Wedding" in motion by allying with Queen Chrysalis and helping her steal Princess Cadance's identity. However, as he becomes acquainted with Twilight Sparkle and witnesses the canon PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure, he [[XanatosSpeedChess devices a new plan]] and betrays the Changelings by helping Twilight and Cadance out of the crystal caves right before the invasion begins. He makes Twilight use [[ChekhovsGun the shrinking spell he showed her earlier]] to stop the Changelings, and he immediately afterwards [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste tricks the shaken ponies]] to blame all the other heroes for the invasion, successfully turning the public against them and making himself [[VillainWithGoodPublicity "Holy King Jewelius I"]]]]. However, [[SmugSnake Jewelius]] soon trips up by unnecessarily scheming a set of events that includes [[spoiler:luring the banished heroes back to Canterlot and [[JustBetweenYouAndMe telling them everything about his evil actions]]]] because he wants to [[spoiler:kill Cadance and Celestia]].
** The canonical Queen Chrysalis [[spoiler:escapes from Canterlot's dungeons with her army and leaves one disguised Changeling behind to help Twilight (after she has come to her senses) escape to Ponyville with her parents and the Elements of Harmony. After Jewelius is cornered by the heroes, Chrysalis appears and has her Changelings kill the traitor, attempting then to subdue the heroes who are exhausted from fighting his minions. Unfortunately for her, Shining Armor and Cadance blast the entire Changeling army out of Equestria by Twilight's suggestion]].

* ''FanFic/ErasedPotential'' [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs the concept]] with Nedzu. Upon becoming aware of Izuku's existence, he immediately starts weaving plans around him, such as pointing Toshinori in his direction while hinting that he could be a potential candidate for One For All... despite being well aware that Izuku intends to become a Quirkless superhero. His various manipulations make Izuku increasingly paranoid, and seriously undermine others' ability to ''trust'' the principal. Even his own staff start regarding him with suspicion and disgust.
* ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeason1'': Tarakudo proves himself to be an expert manipulator in the chapter "Challenges in Leadership", the author's notes for which make sure to acknowledge it. To wit, [[spoiler: he prods the [[TheStarscream treacherous]] Cedric and Daolon Wong to [[VillainTeamUp team up]] to usurp Phobos, while pretending to be on their side, only to then rat them out to Phobos in order to gain the Prince's confidence and convince him to [[WeCanRuleTogether join Tarakudo in a stronger alliance]]]].

* ''Fanfic/AncientSins'': Despite never comparing his actions to a game of chess, Dante creates numerous variables that come into play much later. He later uses this to aid the heroes after his ''HeelFaceTurn'', but with less powerful results.
** Possibly the only one who can rival Dante's chessmasterness is The Nothing/Tadmir, who has set events in motion that cause hundreds of different things to happens, all of which she predicted.

* [[http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Jordan179 Jordan179]]'s "The Shadow Wars" WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic verse depicts ''both'' Major Alicorn Princesses of Equestria as this, especially Celestia. In FanFic/NightmaresAreTragic, a rewrite of ''The Elements of Harmony'' from Nightmare Moon's perspective, Princess Luna is well aware of her sister's cunning and as Nightmare Moon plays (and loses) a very complicated game of XanatosSpeedChess with Celestia playing by proxy through the Mane Six; the final act of which sees Princess Luna [[spoiler:realizing that she's a ''slave'' to the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Night]] [[DemonicPossession Shadows]] and fighting and a [[FightingFromTheInside battle within]] against the Shadow, paralyzing Nightmare Moon long enough for the Mane Six to destroy the Shadow with the [[CareBearStare Elements of Harmony]]]]. In FanFic/AnExtendedPerformance, we get to see the same Longest Night from the perspective of ''Celestia'', who not only had the Apples found Ponyville a century ago just to have a place to breed potential Element-Bearers, but has complex contingency plans for the event of the Mane Six ''failing.'' Celestia even describes herself in her own thoughts as a "smiling schemer."

** Gendo proves to be better at it, though, when [[spoiler:he realizes the pilot's teacher is up to something, so he has Kaoru abducted and puts a bullet in his knee.]]

* The WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic crossover story FanFic/AHollowInEquestria portrays Princess Celestia as attempting to be this, and failing miserably at every turn.

* ''Fanfic/TurningTables'': [[spoiler: In Chapter 57, it is revealed that Doctor Strange [[BatmanGambit made Thanos see Tony as a threat so that Tony would be dusted in the Blip instead of Peter]], having deliberately changed the variables when none of [[MultipleChoiceFuture the many, many timelines]] where Tony lived through the Blip seemed to go well and made it so that Peter would be the one to discover time-travel and prevent the [[AlternateTimeline AT]]!Thanos from wreaking havoc in the main timeline. He admits that it was a gamble, but it still paid off in the end.]]

* ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a truly epic GambitPileUp (it is the only work of ''any'' kind to have its own [[ChildOfTheStorm/GambitPileUp Gambit Pile-Up page]]), meaning that ''loads'' of characters are this trope.

** Loki is ReformedButNotTamed. Instead of resenting being in his brother's shadow, he ''is'' Thor's shadow. He put together an information network comprising the homeless, cleaners, janitors, taxi drivers, and the like, simultaneously creating an invisible network across the world while actually helping the lower classes. However, he acknowledges Odin as being even better, the latter able to make Loki do exactly what he wants with just three words.
** Lucius Malfoy is a master manipulator whom even Nick Fury takes his hat off to. In a number of months, he goes from sitting on his laurels to becoming Master of HYDRA and temporarily [[spoiler: basically in charge of the ''entire world.'']] However, he makes a fatal mistake or two, which leads to...
** Lucius' somewhat-ally Alexander Pierce is the head of HYDRA within SHIELD, and [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority just as good of a manipulator as that implies]], even putting on an AffablyEvil act good enough to fool other chessmasters like Albus Dumbledore and Nick Fury. He's even implied to [[spoiler: have known about the Shadow Initiative after the Avengers fell, and said nothing so that he could take advantage of the chaos]]. However, [[spoiler: Lucius' desperate phone call to him]] gets intercepted by Fury, who locks him up. Even then, Pierce stays alive by leaking just a few secrets here and there to his interrogators, making himself more useful alive than dead. However...
** He gets cracked in minutes by Alison Carter, [[spoiler: daughter of Peggy and Steve]], though admittedly she does have a trump card. Later, it's revealed that she was able to pull a BatmanGambit on ''Nick Fury and Phil Coulson,'' without them even realizing.
** Fury himself is, as per usual, no slouch. As Tony puts it, "his secrets have secrets." He even manages to catch Malfoy red-handed, though he takes his hat off to Malfoy and Dumbledore, the latter of whom is somewhat OvershadowedByAwesome, though still a highly competent strategist. He and Loki even discuss chess metaphors early on, describing their allies and enemies as chess pieces.
** And manipulating the heck out of absolutely ''everyone'' is Doctor Stephen Strange, who gets everyone from {{Badass Normal}}s to the freaking Endless to do what he wants, often even when they ''know'' they're being manipulated and can't do anything about it, because he's arranged his plans so that [[BatmanGambit whatever people choose to do]], [[XanatosGambit it will work out in his favour]]. As a result, the mere ''possibility'' of his involvement is ParanoiaFuel. The one time he hits a blind spot, he's still capable of highly effective XanatosSpeedChess, and jumps right back on the ball afterwards. When confronting [[spoiler: Chthon]], who's just pulled a VillainOverride and looks like he's going to win, the latter smugly asks if he has any last words. He does, actually. "Check." Cue Strange unfolding the last few steps of his plan, ending it with a soft and triumphant remark of, "Check. Check and mate."

* Prince Jewelius in ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost''. In order to usurp his aunt Princess Celestia as Equestria's ruler, he [[spoiler:sets the events of "A Canterlot Wedding" in motion by allying with Queen Chrysalis and helping her to steal Princess Cadance's identity. However, as he becomes acquainted with Twilight Sparkle and witnesses the canon PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure, he [[XanatosSpeedChess devices a new plan]] and betrays the Changelings by helping Twilight and Cadance out of the crystal caves right before the invasion begins. He makes Twilight use [[ChekhovsGun the shrinking spell he showed her earlier]] to stop the Changelings, and he immediately afterwards [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste tricks the shaken ponies]] to blame all the other heroes for the invasion, successfully turning the public against them and making himself [[VillainWithGoodPublicity "Holy King Jewelius I"]]]]. However, [[SmugSnake Jewelius]] soon trips up by unnecessarily scheming a set of events that includes [[spoiler:luring the banished heroes back to Canterlot and [[JustBetweenYouAndMe telling them everything about his evil actions]]]] because he wants to [[spoiler:kill Cadance and Celestia]].

* Prince Jewelius in ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost''. In order to usurp his aunt Princess Celestia as Equestria's ruler, he [[spoiler:sets the events of "A Canterlot Wedding" in motion by allying with Queen Chrysalis and helping her to steal Princess Cadance's identity. However, as he becomes acquainted with Twilight Sparkle and witnesses the canon PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure, he [[XanatosSpeedChess devices a new plan]] and betrays the Changelings by helping Twilight and Cadance out of the crystal caves right before the invasion begins. He makes Twilight use [[ChekhovsGun the shrinking spell he showed her earlier]] to stop the Changelings, and he immediately afterwards [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste tricks the shaken ponies]] to blame all the other heroes for the invasion, successfully turning the public against them and making himself [[VillainWithGoodPublicity "Holy King Jewelius I"]]]]. However, [[SmugSnake Jewelius]] soon trips up by unnecessarily scheming a set of events that includes [[spoiler:luring the banished heroes back to Canterlot and [[JustBetweenYouAndMe telling them everything about his evil actions]]]] because he wants to [[spoiler:kill Cadance and Celestia]].

* ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a truly epic GambitPileUp, meaning that ''loads'' of characters are this trope.

** And manipulating the heck out of absolutely ''everyone'' is Doctor Stephen Strange, who gets everyone from {{Badass Normal}}s to the freaking Endless to do what he wants, often even when they ''know'' they're being manipulated and can't do anything about it, because he's arranged his plans so that [[BatmanGambit whatever people choose to do]], [[XanatosGambit it will work out in his favour]]. The one time he hits a blind spot, he's still capable of highly effective XanatosSpeedChess, and jumps right back on the ball afterwards. When confronting [[spoiler: Chthon]], who's just pulled a VillainOverride and looks like he's going to win, the latter smugly asks if he has any last words. He does, actually. "Check."
*** Cue BigDamnHeroes and Strange unfolding the last few steps of his plan, with a triumphant "Check. Check and mate."

* Prince Jewelius in ''Fanfic/LovedAndLost''. In order to usurp his aunt Princess Celestia as Equestria's ruler, he [[spoiler:sets the events of "A Canterlot Wedding" in motion by allying with Queen Chrysalis and helping her to steal Princess Cadance's identity. However, as he becomes acquainted with Twilight Sparkle and witnesses the canon PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure, he [[XanatosSpeedChess devices a new plan]] and turns against the Changelings right before the invasion begins. He makes Twilight use [[ChekhovsGun the shrinking spell he showed her earlier]] to stop the Changelings, and he immediately afterwards [[LetNoCrisesGoToWaste tricks the shaken ponies]] to blame all the other heroes for the invasion, successfully turning the public against them and making himself [[VIllainWithGoodPublicity "Holy King Jewelius I"]]]].

* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things behind the scenes: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to rally more and more allies to her cause and spread the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows that she's facing off against some [[HiddenVillain unknown force]] - so far only named as the Elder One by [[CultOfPersonality its followers]] - that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple and major factions from the shadows]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion. Currently, the Elder One is playing a mean game of XanatosSpeedChess thanks to the ''giant'' wrench in the EvilPlan due to [[SpannerInTheWorks Arturia's interference]].

* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things behind the scenes: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to rally more and more allies to her cause and spread the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows that she's facing off against some [[HiddenVillain unknown force]] -so far only named as the Elder One by [[CultOfPersonality its followers]] - that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple and major factions from the shadows]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion. Currently, the Elder One is playing a mean game of XanatosSpeedChess thanks to the ''giant'' wrench in the EvilPlan due to [[SpannerInTheWorks Arturia's interference]].

* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things behind the scenes: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to rally more and more allies to her cause and spread the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows that she's facing off against some [[HiddenVillain unknown force]] -so far only named as the Elder One by [[CultOfPersonality its followers]]- that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple and major factions from the shadows]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion. Currently, the Elder One is playing a mean game of XanatosSpeedChess thanks to the ''giant'' wrench in the EvilPlan due to [[SpannerInTheWorks Arturia's interference]].

* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things behind the scenes: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to rally more and more allies to her cause and spread the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows that she's facing off against some [[HiddenVillain unknown force]] -so far only named as the Elder One by [[CultOfPersonality its followers]]- that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple and major factions from the shadows]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion. Currently, the Elder One is playing a mean game of XanatosSpeedChess thanks to the ''giant'' wrench in ThePlan due to [[SpannerInTheWorks Arturia's interference]].

* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things behind the scenes: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to gain more and more allies and spreading the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows that she's facing off against some [[HiddenVillain unknown force]] -so far only named as the Elder One by [[CultOfPersonality its followers]]- that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple and major factions from the shadows]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion. Currently, the Elder One is playing a mean game of XanatosSpeedChess thanks to the ''giant'' wrench in ThePlan due to [[SpannerInTheWorks Arturia's interference]].

* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things from the shadows: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to gain more and more allies and spreading the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows that she's facing off and dealing with some [[HiddenVillain unknown force]] -so far only named as the Elder One to [[CultOfPersonality its followers]]- that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple major factions from behind the scenes]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion. Currently, the Elder One is playing a mean game of XanatosSpeedChess thanks to the ''giant'' wrench in ThePlan due to [[SpannerInTheWorks Arturia's interference]].

* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things from the shadows: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to gain more and more allies and spreading the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows that she's facing off and dealing with some [[HiddenVillain unknown force]] -so far only named as the Elder One to [[CultOfPersonality its followers]]- that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple major factions from behind the scenes]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion.

* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things from the shadows: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to gain more and more allies and spreading the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows she's facing off and dealing with some [[HiddenVillain unknown force]] -so far only named as the Elder One to its followers- that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple factions from behind the scenes]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion.

* ''Fanfic/AKnightsTaleAsInquisitor'' features a Chessmaster operating in plain sight vs a Chessmaster controlling things from the shadows: [[GuileHero Arturia]] is constantly making moves and decisions with far more layers than at first glance in order to gain more and more allies and spreading the overall influence of the Inquisition in the long run. At the same time, she knows she's facing off and dealing with some [[HiddenVillian unknown force]] -so far only named as the Elder One to its followers- that's [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulating multiple factions from behind the scenes]], with its machinations resulting in the death of [[BigGood Divine Justinia V]] and countless others at the Mage-Templar Conclave explosion.

* That to prior knowledge that Consensus has of events [[TheOmniscient that had and will occur]], every single [[PlayerCharacter Host]] in every iteration of the ''{{Roleplay/Communication}}'' quest becomes this quite easily. Thanks to the guidance of their backer, each one them are able to twist, bend, arrange, and/or guide events to their advantage. Every action they take makes sure to obtain and strengthen allies they otherwise wouldn't have gotten in the first place, cripple or outright take out key enemies that could most definitely cause problems in the long run, all the while elevating their powerbase far further than the positions their canon incarnations ended up in.

* That to prior knowledge that Consensus has of events [[TheOmniscient that had and will occur]], every single [[PlayerCharacter Host]] in every iteration of the ''{{Roleplay/Communication}}'' quest becomes this quite easily. Thanks to the guidance of their backer, each one them are able to twist, bend, arrange, and/or guide events to their advantage. Every action they take makes sure to obtain and strengthen allies they otherwise wouldn't have gotten in the first place, cripple or outright take out key enemies that could most definitely cause problems in the long run, all the while elevating their powerbase far further than their canon incarnations would have obtained otherwise.
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* That to prior knowledge that Consensus has of events [[TheOmniscient that had and will occur]], every single [[PlayerCharacter Host]] in every iteration of the ''Roleplay/Communication'' quest becomes this quite easily. Thanks to the guidance of their backer, each one them are able to twist, bend, arrange, and/or guide events to their advantage. Every action they take makes sure to obtain and strengthen allies they otherwise wouldn't have gotten in the first place, cripple or outright take out key enemies that could most definitely cause problems in the long run, all the while elevating their powerbase far further than their canon incarnations would have obtained otherwise.

* ''Fanfic/SoulChess'' used to focus on [[MagnificentBastard Lelouch]] and [[GodModeSue Aizen]] trying to [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny fight for control over the Soul Society]]. [[spoiler: Lelouch wins, but Aizen comes back from Hell for Round 2]].