History Main / ChessMotifs

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Variation: Shikamaru and Asuma use TabletopGame/{{Shogi}} as a metaphor for Konoha Village. Shikamaru is a Knight because its unusual movement mirrors his WeakButSkilled nature and [[TheStrategist strategic mind]]. Shikamaru asks if the Hokage would be a King that the lower ranking ninja have to protect, but Asuma says that while he thought that once, in reality, [[spoiler: the next generation]] is the King, since it needs to be protected or else the village has no future. Interestingly, Asuma likens himself to a Pawn, [[{{Foreshadowing}} commonly a sacrificial piece]]. [[FridgeBrilliance Even more interestingly]], Hidan and Kakuzu's names contain the characters for "bishop" and "rook". [[spoiler:Shikamaru [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome manages to outwit and defeat Hidan almost entirely by himself]].]].

* In ''Fanfic/NewHopeUniversityMajorInMurder'', Saya Wild, the protagonist and the Ultimate Chess Grandmaster, assigns herself each of her 15 classmates a chess piece to indicate how she sees them, not necessarily their role in the game.

** Quite a few characters in the first case of the second game of ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth''. Teikun Ō (FanTranslation name: Di-Jun Huang), the president of Zheng Fa, resembles a lion, the "king of animals", and also has the character of king in his name. His bodyguards, Gai Tojiro and Manosuke Naitō (FanTranslation names: Ethan Rooke and Horace Knightley) physically resemble the rook and knight pieces, and have the characters of castle and romanization of knight in their names respectively. Also the rest of the bodyguards are very generic and all look the same, perhaps being "pawns". The game also has a gameplay mechanic called "Logic Chess".

* It's been proposed that all the personalities in ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'' correspond to different chess pieces. Kun Lan and Harman are definitely playing a literal chess game, and possibly a figurative one as well. [[http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/562551/38193 Read this]] for more details.

* Used for a subtle bit of {{Foreshadowing}} in Chapter 34 of ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', which sees several of the recruits during downtime. Reiner and Bertolt are playing chess to pass the time. Reiner is the white side, and preoccupied in conversation with the others, while Bertolt is playing the black side and intensely focused on their game. He also seems to be winning. [[spoiler:Then we learn that Reiner is guilt-ridden and struggling to remain focused on their mission, while Bertolt is far more committed to their purpose and willing to put aside his personal feelings to accomplish goals. The metaphors extend further, as Reiner confesses to having not really understood things when he began his mission and Ymir later referring to the pair of "small fries" when she warns Eren that killing them won't accomplish anything. They very neatly fit into the role of the Pawn, heading out into enemy territory to accomplish their mission while not actually being significant enough that their loss would harm their side. A fan's [[http://reiner-braunies.tumblr.com/tagged/the%20long%20awaited%20chess%20meta reconstruction]] of their game reveals Reiner playing recklessly, leaving his King undefended while automatically throwing his most powerful pieces into the game. On the other hand, Bertolt is overly cautious and sets up a defensive to protect himself while waiting to act.]]

* Used in ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', as a villain set up a plan to ruin the faster-than-light system, and gave his henchmen chess pieces to tell the company that he was behind it. However, he was too senile after the fifty years it took for the plan to get going, and he ends up doing nothing but playing chess all day. The last one is used by his "benefactor," an electronic chess board manufacturer whose "super-awesomely advanced AI system" is actually just an Internet connection to the old man's chess machine.
* In the second ''Manga/DeathNote'' movie, Light and L are playing a friendly game of chess while locked in a separate, heated mind game. Light wins the match. His response later when he pulls one over on L? Checkmate.

** In ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad'', the BridgeBunnies are partnered with two [=PawnChessmon=], which then evolve into other chess-inspired forms: first [=KnightChessmon=], then one becomes [=RookChessmon=] and the other [=BishopChessmon=]. Their strongest forms ([[AllThereInTheManual not seen in the show but in other materials]]) are [=KingChessmon=] and [=QueenChessmon=], respectively, but true to the game [=KingChessmon=] really isn't capable of much.
** In ''Anime/DigimonFusion'' there is a squadron of [=PawnChessmon=] led by a Knightmon. Knightmon has appeared in other incarnations of the show, but is modeled after [[KnightInShiningArmor an actual knight]] rather than the chess piece so the trope only applies to this incarnation. Dorulumon also gets the special attack "Dorulu Checkmate" when [[FusionDance fused]] with the [=PawnChessmons=]. Also, near the end of the series the heroes are challenged to a battle; both sides are provided a castle shaped like a collection of chess pieces which symbolizes how the enemy general making and arranging the challenge thinks he's only playing a game.
* ''Manga/DragonQuestTheAdventureOfDai'' introduces the Shinei Kidan (Guardian Knights) roughly halfway through the manga. With the exception of the 'king' Hadler, five of them were animated to life from Vearn's chess pieces; a pawn, knight, rook, bishop, and queen. The fact that they're also made from [[{{Orichalcum}} Orihalcon]] and have unique abilities that are similar to chess rules make them a very formidable group.
** Also near the end of the story shows [[spoiler: the remaining chess pieces animated to life, minus the five mentioned ones earlier. They were all robotic {{Mooks}} led by a REAL Orihalcon King Piece named Maximus, who barked orders and used StatOVision.]]

-->'''Roy:''' *''pulling chess pieces out of the box and thinking of the people he relates them to''* My pawn. My rook. My bishop. My knight. And worst of all...they've even taken my queen.
** Also, the BigBad represents all the current people involved in his plans with chibi versions of them as pieces on a chess board on his desk. [[spoiler:This turns out not to be just a motif though, as the board is the true center of his nationwide transmutations circle (a trick he used before).]]

* Only in the beginning of ''Manga/FutureDiary'', when a DEAD END is compared to a Checkmate. This is why it was such a big deal that Yuki survived; [[{{Unwinnable}} it wasn't meant to be possible.]]
* This is how the master-servant devil relationships work in ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDxD''. The protagonist, Issei, is the [[AlmightyJanitor Pawn]][[note]]All eight of them.[[/note]], Rias is [[CrutchCharacter the King]], Akeno is the Queen, Kiba is the Knight, Asia is the Bishop, and Koneko is the Rook. Other characters then join Rias later on to become the other pieces.
** The pieces also give the individual an appropriate boost. Bishops are [[SquishyWizard magic specialist]], Knights are [[SuperSpeed high-speed attackers]], Rooks are [[MightyGlacier incredibly strong and durable]], and Queens [[LightningBruiser get all the bonuses put together]]. Pawns are [[MasterOfNone grunts]], but can promote to gain the boosts of another piece while behind enemy lines, and Kings have the tactical acumen to make the whole system work.
* Lily from ''Manga/{{Jabberwocky}}'' repeatedly refers to herself as just a pawn to be sacrificed in order to take the king, which irritates Sabata to no end (she gets better).
* Game pieces of all the characters are shown in Desir’s InnerMonologue throughout Chapter 22 of ''Manga/KarakuridoujiUltimo''.

* Continuing the original series, the episode titles of ''Anime/LastExileFamTheSilverWing'' are chess terms and occurrences, and describe the strategic actions of the episode.
* Addressed by Zera himself in ''Manga/LycheeLightClub'', invoked by Tamiya.
* The main antagonists of ''Manga/{{MAR}}'' are called the Chess Pieces or Chess no Koma (Chess Soldiers), and their ranks are named for well, chess pieces.
** Although, aside from the Pawns being FacelessMooks, there only being one King and one Queen, and the rank levels, the motif doesn't seem to stick very well; the head Knight is the one who ends the game if defeated. In the first Chess "games," they never did find the King and Queen.
* Dulindal does this a number of times in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'', including almost every time he's on screen by himself during the first half or so. He even goes as far as to refer to certain characters as the chess pieces.
* WordOfGod says that ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' was originally planned to have a Chess Motif, and traces of it can be seen in the final version. For instance: ''Ou'' is Japanese for King; and the 0 Gundam is both the weakest and most important of the Gundams, being the prototype from which the other, stronger Gundams were designed.
* Prime Minister Wong's Gundam chess set with Gundam figures in ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam''.
* Variation: Shikamaru and Asuma of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' use TabletopGame/{{Shogi}} as a metaphor for Konoha Village. Shikamaru is a Knight because its unusual movement mirrors his WeakButSkilled nature and [[TheStrategist strategic mind]]. Shikamaru asks if the Hokage would be a King that the lower ranking ninja have to protect, but Asuma says that while he thought that once, in reality, [[spoiler: the next generation]] is the King, since it needs to be protected or else the village has no future. Interestingly, Asuma likens himself to a Pawn, [[{{Foreshadowing}} commonly a sacrificial piece]].
** [[FridgeBrilliance Even more interestingly]], Hidan and Kakuzu's names contain the characters for "bishop" and "rook". [[spoiler:Shikamaru [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome manages to outwit and defeat Hidan almost entirely by himself]].]].

* ''Manga/{{Spiral}}'': In the manga volume #11.
* There's a White Queen in ''Manga/TailStar''.

* Crashers in ''Anime/WeissKreuz'' are codenamed after chess pieces: Knight, Bishop, Rook, and Pawn. King is their boss, and Queen is TheHandler.

* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', Hades uses chess pieces shaped like various potential actors in his bid for absolute power.
* Lawrence III in ''Anime/Pokemon2000'' movie had his map set up like a chessboard. The plot was indeed quite chess-like in that he captured the three Legendary Birds to bring out the bigger prize, Lugia...or so he thought. In reality, the "Beast of the Sea" was an underwater current that had been causing the storm.

* The White Queen's home, in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'', has a chess motif on a grand scale; the palace has chess pieces all over it. Her soldiers also wear armor resembling different chess pieces, and the movie's final confrontation takes place on a large chess board.

* Early on in ''Film/{{Assassins}}'', Rath examines an incomplete chess game between him and his former partner Nikolai after Bain whispers "Bishop takes Rook Pawn". The move turns out to be the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_gift_sacrifice Greek gift sacrifice]], a powerful attack. This [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadows]] that Rath is an [[UnwittingPawn Unwitting Rook Pawn]], [[spoiler:and his original opponent is TheChessmaster]].
* The game of correspondence chess played by Sebastian and Tyrell in ''Film/BladeRunner'' (which Batty wins with his genius intellect). Notably, it's based on the famous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortal_game "Immortal Game"]] of 1851, which ties into the film's themes of mortality and a quest for life. This was actually [[DeathOfTheAuthor unintended]].
* ''Film/BlazingSaddles'': Mongo only pawn in game of life."
* Subtle ones in ''Film/ComputerChess'', such as Papageorge's loop and Shelley's TetrisEffect.
* ''Film/TheCountOfMonteCristo2002''. Edmond and Fernand have a chess king that they trade back and forth when the other has a victory, recognizing the other as "King of the Moment". Edmond explains this to Napoleon Bonaparte, who observes that "In life, we are all either Kings or Pawns."
* Explicitly stated in ''Film/{{Cypher}}''. Sebastian Rooks is the, er, Rook with Morgan Sullivan being the Pawn. [[spoiler:The clever part is the Pawn becoming the Rook when he reaches the reaches the metaphorical end of the board.]] The two opposing technology corporations, [=DigiCorp=] and Sunway Systems, are also color-coded as the opposing sides of a chess board, with [=DigiCorp=] being black, and Sunway Systems white.

* Okwe and Guo Yi from ''Film/DirtyPrettyThings'' are fond of playing chess with each other, and at one point the latter makes an analogy between the game and Okwe's situation.
* In ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}'', Queen Aislinn is playing chess by herself in a scene where Einon and his men are having a rowdy feast. In the novelization, she spent a lot more time playing it, and only Bowen had seen any value in the game, realizing that it taught strategy.

* The movie ''Film/{{Fresh}}'' is basically this, with a little boy in a gangster-ruled city block getting chess lessons from his [[Creator/SamuelLJackson father]]. And applying those lessons in his life. Such as manipulating your opponent. And remembering that only your king [[ThickerThanWater truly matters]], and that other pieces can be sacrificed if it is needed to protect it. BittersweetEnding, here we come!

* In the SpinningPaper sequence in ''Film/{{Hoodlum}}'' we get some shots edited so it appears that Dutch Shultz (played by Creator/TimRoth) is playing against Harlem gangster "Bumpy" Johnson (played by Creator/LaurenceFishburne) - who is of course playing black, with Fishburne knocking over the white king. [[spoiler:This is slight foreshadowing, as in the film it's Johnson who helps set up the hit on Shultz - rather than the Commission getting sick of Shultz endangering their operations with their plots on the life of the district attorney.]]
* In his speech to the crew in ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'', Captain Ramius describes the naval portion Cold War as a game of chess against the Americans.
* In ''Film/{{Inception}}'', Ariadne's totem is a bishop chesspiece, and "Robert Fischer" brings to mind famous chess player Bobby Fischer.
* David Levinson in ''Film/IndependenceDay'' is a [[SmartPeoplePlayChess chess player]]. He constantly uses chess analogies to describe the alien invasion.

* ''Film/JamesBond'':
** ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'': [[TheChessmaster chess-champion]] Kronstein turns out to be a SPECTRE agent, and uses chess analogies in their latest plan to outwit and destroy 007.
** Variation in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'', with casino and poker motifs.
* The film ''Film/JasonAndTheArgonauts'' has several scenes where the gods play a chess-like game with pieces representing the heroes and villains of the movie. This is probably the ur-example of the Chess Motif in film.
* King Baldwin's introductory scene in ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'', with an echo by Balian later.
* In the Creator/StanleyKubrick adaptation of ''Literature/{{Lolita}}'', Professor Humbert is shown teaching the rudiments of chess to Charlotte Haze as her beautiful underage daughter enters the room.
-->'''Charlotte:''' You're going to take my queen.
-->'''Humbert:''' [[DoubleMeaning That is my intention, certainly]].

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''
** In "K'Z'K", Bun-bun plays at being TheChessmaster -- not that successfully -- with a chessboard with carved figures representing the characters involved. Zoe then manages to trick him into getting involved and gleefully indulges in a bit of her own chess motifs by acknowledging how she forced a powerful "piece" into position to take out their foe.
** In "Full House"[[note]]Yes, there's more than one kind of game motif in this chapter[[/note]], the heroes use chess codenames in their secret operations: pawns are various people without much of a theme, the rooks are two allies that supply resources, the knights are two computer hackers, bishops are, well, maybe people in charge of getting others onboard or something, the king is Riff ("our best hope and the biggest target of the other side"), and the queen is Oasis, who is unstable but absolutely deadly and the most important piece in the plan.

* The ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Breaking Dawn]]'' cover shows a chessboard with a red pawn overshadowed by a towering white queen, symbolizing Bella's transformation from a weak, flesh-and-blood human to a strong and inhumanly beautiful vampire.

* The six escaped prisoners in ''The Will O' The Wisp Mystery'' are compared to chess pieces; one had used the role of a clergyman as a cover (the bishop) to the mob boss (the king). [[spoiler: It's eventually subverted: the detective realizes that the chess motif (all the men protect the king) was wrong and that a checkers motif (first man across becomes the king) was correct.]]

* The Armageddon battle in ''Literature/{{Wyrm}}'' is very clearly structured on a chess game: the infantry are pawns, the cavalry are knights, the black dragon is the black queen, and so on. According to the novel's afterword, the events of the battle specifically correspond to a particular chess game played in 1961 between Tigran Petrosian and Ludek Pachman.
** [[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1104948 Link to the game.]]

* The architecture of the White Knight's kingdom in ''[[Series/{{Alice2009}} Alice]]'' resembles giant chess pieces.

* The ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode title, ''[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E20Endgame Endgame]]'', comes from the term for the final phase in a game of chess where there are very few pieces left on the board to play. At this point, the only pieces left to play for are Mars and Earth.
* The last three episodes of ''Series/BulletInTheFace'' in spades.
* In ''Series/TheCape'' the manipulative villain Peter Fleming... well he doesn't have a chess motif such as an ''overwhelming obsession'' with it. He compares real world actions to specific chess strategies, wears contact lenses that make his pupils look like chess pieces, and uses a holographic interface hidden under a chessboard that when activated [[ViewerFriendlyInterface arranges itself into a chessboard layout]]. And of course his supervillain name is ''Chess''.
* An episode of ''Series/TheDailyShow'' after Barack Obama's inauguration featured this exchange between Jon Stewart and his interviewee, openly gay bishop Gene Robinson.
--> '''Stewart''': Washington was so crowded today. There were so many people. You, as a bishop, were sort of doubly handicapped in that situation because you are only allowed to move diagonally. How is that, negotiating the crowds?
--> '''Robinson''': Jon, you have to understand there's a queen on the board as well.
* In ''Series/{{The Day of the Triffids|2009}}'', chess pieces on a map of London show the expansion of Torrence's empire.
* Sylvester [=McCoy=]'s run on ''Series/DoctorWho'' had a few of these.
** In "Silver Nemesis", when the Doctor and Ace try to keep a weapon away from the Cybermen, they announce chess moves during the battle.

* As explained in supplimental material for ''VisualNovel/XNote'':
** Essi—Queen
** Yuon—Knight
** Oure—King
** Anon—Bishop
** Rexus—Rook

* Averted in ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'': the doctor specifically refers to a fight as a game of battleship and not chess.
** Chess is a little too "Rooky, Pawny" for his tastes.
* Mark Shallow does this in ''Webcomic/AntiheroForHire''.
** Parodied [[http://www.antiheroforhire.com/d/20070402.html here]], by way of {{Metaphorgotten}}.
* To a small extent in ''Webcomic/{{Cloudscratcher}}''. Alice has a quite a few similarities in role to the Queen, naturally making The Captain the King, Burt and Sally being Rooks and Sogaat a Bishop.
* Caissa from ''Webcomic/{{Commedia}}'' likes to use them.

* The conflict in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' between Prospit and Derse is essentially a gigantic chess match that gets more complicated with each prototyping. [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003701 This spoileriffic video]] shows it best. See also Vimes above. This [[FridgeBrilliance explains why]] PM gets her AwesomeMomentOfCrowning as a reward for making it all the way to Derse and back on her mission. [[spoiler: She was a pawn that got promoted to a queen, a legitimate rule in chess if the pawn manages to reach the opposite side of the board.]]

* The different classes of [[KillerRobot Inlay]] in ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'' are named after chess pieces; pawns are {{Action Bomb}}s, bishops serve as heavy assault troops and have a thing for evisceration, rooks are like tanks, knights seem to be some kind of special forces (and are smarter than most units), and the few kings are field commanders. Inlay "queens" don't technically exist but the AI running the fabricator plants that build Inlay chassis are occasionally referred to as queens.
* ''Webcomic/ZokushoComics'': Spoofed slightly when Akira is explaining his plan to take down a fortress full of goblins to his team using chess pieces.
-->'''Raz''': "That's your piece?"\\
'''Akira''': "Yeah?"\\
'''Raz''': "Ha! You're a queen."\\
'''Akira''': "Now you're a queen."

** In "Full House,"[[note]]Yes, there are more than one kinds of game motif in the chapter,[[/note]] the heroes use chess codenames in their secret operations: pawns are various people without much of a theme, the rooks are two allies that supply resources, the knights are two computer hackers, bishops are, well, maybe people in charge of getting others onboard or something, the king is Riff ("our best hope and the biggest target of the other side"), and the queen is Oasis, who is unstable but absolutely deadly and the most important piece in the plan.

* In the Sleepwalker arc of ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', Linkara is shown playing chess against himself. [[spoiler: This is actually part of him being possessed by [[EldritchAbomination the Entity]], which is playing elaborate games instead of using its vast power to actually ''act'' on its threats because it fears the futility of its own purpose.]]

* ''Literature/{{D8}}'' ''is'' this. The entire story is pretty much one big Chess Motif.
* Morkeal's minions in ''WebOriginal/HandsOfChaos'' are named after chess pieces - but there isn't one called a "king," presumably because Morkeal ''is'' the "king."
* The round challenge in ''WebOriginal/HotelHaven'' is a giant game of chess of death (literally) with life size players.
* The strongest chess piece in ''WebAnimation/HvHMUGEN'' is The Queen. In VQM, Queen [[spoiler: Nila]] demonstrates just how powerful she is. Even Gill is afraid of her.
* [[spoiler:Penny Balisong]] from ''Blog/TheJeanetteExperience'' is fond of these.
* Jennie uses chess pieces to illustrate a military strategy in the ''WebVideo/Lonelygirl15'' episode "Cold War Revisited".
* In the sequel of ''Literature/NESGodzillaCreepypasta'', the player comes across a chess-themed level where he must find and capture a king to win... said King looks a lot like [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames King]] [[WebAnimation/YoutubePoop Harkinian]].

* The Black Queen, a GOI character from the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'', is, quite obviously, representative of the black queen in chess, and many different expansions for her group use other pieces as well.

* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': The Chessmaster uses a lot of these, shockingly enough given his name. His normal {{Mook}}s are called the Chessmen (cyborgs), his backup are the Rooks (floating [[Series/DoctorWho Dalek]] type things), his battlefield planning table is the Chessboard, and all his plans are various gambits, openers etc.

* The Chessmaster from ''Webcomic/AxisMundi''.

* ''ComicBook/CaptainBritain'': During ''ComicBook/ACrookedWorld'', Merlin and his daughter Roma play an intricate game of chess, seemingly manipulating events while Captain Britain and his allies fight against [[ImplacableMan The Fury]] and [[RealityWarper Mad Jim Jaspers]].

* ''VideoGame/BiomechanicalToy'', an arcade {{SHUMP}} with LivingToys, have sentient chess pieces as enemies. A chess Queen serves as the first boss, the Rooks and Bishops are {{Giant Mook}}s, while the Knight is a dangerous airborne enemy who can drop projectiles all over the area.

* President Johnson uses some effective chess analogies during his speech in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2''.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': First prominently featured in ''ComicBook/TheDarkPhoenixSaga'', the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club ranks its members like this, with White Queen ComicBook/EmmaFrost replaced by Black Queen ComicBook/JeanGrey after the former's [[FakingTheDead apparent demise.]] Sebastian Shaw is the Black King, but the other members' ranks aren't revealed until later. While the New York branch uses white and black with their titles, the London branch uses red and black. And, at one point when ComicBook/{{Magneto}} held leadership of the Circle, he used the title Grey King, seeing himself as being [[GreyAndGrayMorality between black and white]] (though another time he held the title of White King).
* It shows up from time to time in early ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}.
* During Creator/AlanMoore's run on ''Captain Britain'', Merlin and his daughter Roma played an intricate game of chess, seemingly manipulating events while Captain Britain and his allies fought against [[ImplacableMan The Fury]] and [[RealityWarper Mad Jim Jaspers]].
* In one issue of ''ComicBook/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'', Franchise/{{Superman}} and ComicBook/TheFlash play chess at superspeed while debating the future. Superman, who's more experienced in the game, wins their first few games, all the while arguing that the world will be better if he destroys every gun. Barry concedes that destroying all guns will make the world more peaceful, but also worries where they draw the line. If they remove all guns, why not do the same to knives? Cars? Should they destroy murderers as well? [[RuleOfSymbolism At this point, the Flash starts winning]].
* Obadiah Stane was a big fan of these during his arc in ''ComicBook/IronMan'', naming his mooks the Chessmen. An expensive chess set appears on his desk in the movie as a callback to this.
* In Jim Steranko's memorable run on ''[[ComicBook/NickFury Nick Fury Agent Of SHIELD]]'', SHIELD faced the [[YellowPeril Yellow Claw]] and his forces. The end of the arc revealed that Doctor Doom manipulated SHIELD and the Claw in an intricate game against an alien chess-playing computer called the Prime Mover.
** More recently, Doom used the Prime Mover against the ComicBook/FantasticFour in Grant Morrison's ''Fantastic Four: 1234'', manipulating their histories and relationships to tear them apart from within. [[ReedRichardsIsUseless Going against trope]], Reed realized what Doom was up to and developed machines to counter Doom's moves. He realized that Doom's moves were rigid and inflexible, and in order to defeat him, he used his stretching powers to temporarily create new structures in his own brain, thus expanding his already prodigious intellect.
* In ''ComicBook/TrinityWar'' while rummaging through the Justice League's Watchtower, the Atom finds a chess set with the League's members for pieces. [[spoiler:The Franchise/{{Superman}} piece has been replaced with a Martian Manhunter piece]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': During the climax of season five's StoryArc, [[BigBad the Brain]] and [[TheDragon Monsieur Mallah]] play a game of chess. Mallah represents the Titans, the Brain represents... well, himself. The game is frighteningly accurate as to how everything goes down.
* At one point in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' Arsenal refers to ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} as a pawn of the villains. Luthor corrects him, saying that Deathstroke is "more of a bishop actually."

Compare ChessWithDeath, TheChessmaster (especially the first section of examples for TheChessmaster, most of which could go here as well), SmartPeoplePlayChess, XanatosSpeedChess, and CheckAndMate. See also TalkingThroughTechnique, which can turn a motif into a message. An AstralCheckerboardDecor is a checkered pattern representing otherworldness.

** In ''Anime/DigimonSavers'', the BridgeBunnies are partnered with two [=PawnChessmon=], which then evolve into other chess-inspired forms: first [=KnightChessmon=], then one becomes [=RookChessmon=] and the other [=BishopChessmon=]. Their strongest forms ([[AllThereInTheManual not seen in the show but in other materials]]) are [=KingChessmon=] and [=QueenChessmon=], respectively, but true to the game [=KingChessmon=] really isn't capable of much.

** In ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'' there is a squadron of [=PawnChessmon=] led by a Knightmon. Knightmon has appeared in other incarnations of the show, but is modeled after [[KnightInShiningArmor an actual knight]] rather than the chess piece so the trope only applies to this incarnation. Dorulumon also gets the special attack "Dorulu Checkmate" when [[FusionDance fused]] with the [=PawnChessmons=]. Also, near the end of the series the heroes are challenged to a battle; both sides are provided a castle shaped like a collection of chess pieces which symbolizes how the enemy general making and arranging the challenge thinks he's only playing a game.

* ''Manga/BlackButler'' uses many chess motifs. Ciel is a ChessMaster who refers to himself as the King and Sebastian as his Knight. Not to mention that the series has chess-based imagery throughout it such as [[http://www.kuroshitsujimanga.com/13/31/ this]] page and [[http://www.kuroshitsujimanga.com/13/36/ this]] page from the manga. The anime has more of this later in the series, including some in the new opening animation with Sebastian kneeling on a large chess board before a black King piece that turns to dust to reveal Ciel.
* [[http://www.mangareader.net/406-57758-32/ao-no-exorcist/chapter-15.html Chapter 15]] of the ''Manga/BlueExorcist'' manga includes one of these. Shura explicitly says that Mephisto "seems to be enjoying himself, manipulating everyone like pawns on a chessboard" with a picture of Mephisto playing a game of chess with a grin on his face (though this scene is imaginary.) Whether he is a MagnificentBastard or a GuileHero is uncertain at this point, but he certainly shows plenty of [[TheTrickster Trickster]] and ChessMaster tendencies.

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' seems to be shaping up to have antagonists with Chess Motifs. In the first chapter there is enemies modelled after pawns and the final boss is a King. However there is also mention of a Knight and Queen pulling the strings. The Knight corrupted the King while the Queen seems to be a GreaterScopeVillain.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': [[http://ww2.wizards.com/Gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?id=274 White Knight]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=190540 Black Knight]], of course.

** On a less serious note, Miles Edgeworth has a [[DartboardOfHate Chessboard of Hate]], upon which a bunch of red knights with sharp-''edged'' swords surround a [[AnimeHair spiky-haired]] blue pawn.

* Quite frequently in ''Film/{{Revolver}}'', with the similarity between chess and cons being a pervasive theme.

* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' features Mako Yakumaru, TheChessmaster of the Anti-Schooler monstrels. When she is shown 'behind the scenes', the background is a chessboard from the pawn's point of view. When her control over [[spoiler:Moka]] is broken, the chess pieces are shown mid-fall.

** In "[[Recap/TheWireS01E03TheBuys The Buys]]", Bodie and Wallace play checkers with a chess set. D'Angelo comes over and tries to teach them chess in terms of the drug trade and the characters, with plenty of subtext. He likens himself and his fellow hoppers to pawns, who can make it to the edge of the board to become more powerful Queens, but will never get to be King. He admits with some regret that pawns are chumps and get killed fast, but his youthful audience has faith that [[HardWorkFallacy "smart-ass" pawns can get ahead]]. [[spoiler:By the end of the show, everyone in the conversation has been killed in conflicts between greater forces then themselves, and shortly before his death the last surviving member of the trio makes a CallBack and explicitly says that they really were pawns]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype2}}'': Rooks' call-sign is "Checkmate" and his lieutenant's is "Castle".

* In Episode 3 of ''WesternAnimation/BewareTheBatman'', a villain called 'Anarchy' challenges Batman via two not-so-bright artists. After a game of chess with Bruce, Alfred remarks the two thugs are pawns and 'Anarchy', who looks like Batman in every way but is dressed fully in white, later remarks that he and Batman are the kings of their respective colours.

* Chess pops up sporadically in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'', but [[ShrinkingViolet Hanako's]] path is the one that makes the most use of this trope. Not only is chess one of her hobbies, it's symbolic of her connection to Hisao. Her Act 3 is called "Castling". [[spoiler:Castling is a move in chess that places the Rook and King pieces next to each other. When you consider that the King is a "weak" piece that needs to be defended, and that the Rook is a "stronger" piece, this could be almost directly applied to how their relationship develops within that Act.]] In fact, the entire path is determined by how much Hisao acts like a [[spoiler:[[KnightInShiningArmor White Knight]]]], or, if you're aiming for her good ending, [[spoiler:[[DontYouDarePityMe how he does not]]]].

* ''The Defense'' by Creator/VladimirNabokov brings this out in full force, even having other stand ins for chess boards and pieces, such as the checked bathroom tiles in the hotels that Luzhin visits. Of course, the book is about a famous chess master going insane as chess takes over his life.

** In an early episode, two of the Mooks play checkers with a chess set. Their boss comes over and tries to teach them chess in terms of the drug trade and the characters, with plenty of subtext. He likens himself and his fellow hoppers to pawns, who can make it to the edge of the board to become more powerful Queens, but will never get to be King. He admits with some regret that pawns are chumps and get killed fast, but his youthful audience has faith that [[HardWorkFallacy "smart-ass" pawns can get ahead]]. [[spoiler:By the end of the show, everyone in the conversation has been killed in conflicts between greater forces then themselves, and shortly before his death the last surviving member of the trio makes a CallBack and explicitly says that they really were pawns]].
** This metaphor about the drug game being a chess game between the cops and the criminals reaches its conclusion in the season one finale, when Avon and Stringer (the King and Queen) are the last pieces on the board, waiting for a mass of SWAT units to raid their compound. The criminals are both wearing white, the cops are all either dressed in black or wearing black flack jackets. Avon quietly surrenders when he's faced with a checkmate.

* ''VideoGame/Deltarune'' seems to be shaping up to have antagonists with Chess Motifs. In the first chapter there is enemies modelled after pawns and the final boss is a King. However there is also mention of a Knight and Queen pulling the strings. The Knight corrupted the King while the Queen seems to be a GreaterScopeVillain.