A different kind of Chessmaster.
On the day of the World Exhibition's opening ceremony, Isaac and the player discuss about one of the upcoming inventions that will be shown: a self-operating chess machine which will be pit against Casper Rove, the youngest chess master in the world and Isaac's friend. Unfortunately, things get awry when both officers are informed about another murder happening in the World Exhibition grounds whose victim turns out to be none other than the aforementioned Casper, dead after being shot in the heart with a chess piece.
Tropes:
- Abnormal Ammo: The victim was killed by being shot with, of all things, a bishop chess piece.
- The Apprentice: The victim was this for Bron Sklar, widely considered one of the best chess masters in the world.
- Attack on the Heart: The victim died after being shot in the heart with a bishop chess piece.
- I Can't Hear You: One of the killer's traits is that they're suffering from partial deafness due to the murder weapon being too loud, and as consequence some of the suspects react like this during their interrogations.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Celine thought that Casper was going to cheat against her Chessmaton since she caught him taking a peek to the machine's mechanisms, which makes Isaac assume Celine killed because of this.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Greta Gundwood and Orville West appear on a film reel showcasing the World Exhibition's inventions before they're properly introduced in the next case.
- Chekhov's Skill: Isaac's chess abilities mentioned in previous cases come into play here when he's requested to play against Celine's Chessmaton since Casper, the one originally intended to showcase the machine, died before he could do it.
- Clockwork Creature: Celine's Chessmaton (pictured above) resembles a humanoid clockwork machine.
- Continuity Nod: Jude recalls how his parents died in the New Haven fire.
- Ditzy Genius: Colette Eckhardt, Casper's girlfriend, acts like an airhead but it's revealed that she's the one who came up with Casper's chess move that allowed him to be recognized as a chess master.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Isaac tells you about his friend Casper and his accomplishments moments before you're informed about his murder by Evie.
- Foreshadowing: During the Additional Investigation, Celine asks for your help since her Chessmaton has malfunctioned due to a missing piece, but it's brushed aside after you find said piece and appears to be just another case of a careless person misplacing an object, which is typical of the franchise. However, this later turns out to be the first hint that there's a saboteur tampering with the World Exhibition's inventions, which you don't discover until Case 16.
- French Jerk: Downplayed. Celine is an abrasive French woman who cares more about her inventions than the fact someone was murdered with one of them, but she's still somewhat polite with the player and even rewards you with some money after you help her repair her Chessmaton.
- Good Luck Charm: Isaac has a gris-gris
that he uses whenever he plays chess, and you're tasked with finding it for him so he can play against Celine's Chessmaton during the Additional Investigation. - Green-Eyed Monster: Bron killed Casper because he was jealous of Casper gaining the opportunity to play against Celine's Chessmaton and not him, as Bron saw Casper as unworthy of being the demonstrator because he had far less experience than him.
- Heartwarming Orphan: Jude Jenkins, an 11-year-old orphan who was friends with Casper, appears as a suspect here.
- Homemade Inventions: In addition to Charlie and Dick's previously seen DNA machine, this case introduces five other inventions that will be showcased at the World Exhibition: Celine Georges' Chessmaton and a Propulsion Device, Stanley Spark's Exo-Suit, Greta Gundwood's color camera, and Orville West's Steampack.
- Improvised Weapon: In addition to using a chess piece as ammunition, the killer shot it using a newly invented propulsion device resembling a cannon.
- Insufferable Genius: Stanley Spark proclaims himself a master genius and brags about how humans will soon be replaced by machines, feeling confidently smug about his claims. Fitting, considering what character he is based on.
- Intergenerational Friendship: The victim was on both ends of this, as Casper, who was presumed to be in his early 20s at best, had friendships with both Jude, an 11-year-old boy, and Isaac, a 45-year-old middle aged man.
- It's All About Me: Bron, as shown during his Motive Rant for why he murdered Casper.Bron: Casper was completely incapable of playing on his own when he was under pressure! It should have been ME playing that automaton! I am the REAL world chess champion!
- Mistaken for Murderer: Jude mistakes himself for a murderer when he assumes he accidentally killed Casper by "stabbing" him with a prop sword.
- Perfect Play A.I.: This is how Celine's Chessmaton works, although its "AI" is more like an advanced series of algorithms and implanted chess plays.
- Powered Armor: One of the World Exhibition's inventions, the Exo-Suit, is one of these. Which makes sense, since its inventor is an Iron Man Expy.
- Race Against the Clock: Mayor Castletown hurries Isaac and the player to finish the investigation before his patience wears thin, as he has to open the World Exhibition as soon as possible.
- Rich Genius: Stanley Spark is a renowned genius inventor and the owner of the famous Spark Industries, putting him in this category.
- Science Fair: The World Exhibition is basically an aged-up version of this, as many inventors and scientist prepare to showcase their creations to the public.
- Shout-Out:
- The victim, Casper Rove, is a named after Garry Kasparov.
- Stanley Spark is a parody of Tony Stark. He is an inventor and owner of Spark Industries, and created the Exo-Suit, also called the fantastical suit, for the World Exhibition. His first name comes from Stan Lee.
- Isaac Newton and Sir William Jones are mentioned.
- A newspaper found mentions the Immortal Game, the most famous competitive chess game in history.
- Skewed Priorities: When you inform her about Casper's murder, Celine is more concerned about having no one to play against her Chessmaton instead of his death.
- Smart People Play Chess: Isaac and Bron seem to be pretty knowledgeable about various topics, and they're also great chess players.
- Stealing the Credit: Apparently, Casper had stolen Colette's endgame moves that allowed him to become a world champion, although she claims she decided to allow it due to him being more worthy of receiving the title.
- Treacherous Advisor: Bron, Casper's chess mentor, also turns out to be his killer after getting jealous of Casper playing against the Chessmaton.
