History Main / NonChessMotifExamples

* Regine in ''{{Addergoole}}'' - the entire school, and the students, exist to fulfill her plans.

* ''Series/{{Scandal}}'': Olivia.

** And in comic 830, [[spoiler: Red Cloak is revealed to be one who's manipulating Xycon]].

** You can't say Franchise/{{Batman}}, chessmaster, and villain in the same sentence without talking about [[GeniusBruiser Bane]]. He managed to beat fellow {{Chessmaster}}, ComicBook/RasAlGhul, at a game of Chess even though he's never seen a chessboard before.

** In season two, there are at least three possible Chessmasters, and it's not yet clear which one is winning. Is it season 1 Chessmaster [[spoiler:Ribbons]], enigmatic Celestial Being backer [[spoiler:Wang Liu Mei]], or [[spoiler:Ribbons' own apparent lackey Regene Regetta, who happens to also be Gundam Meister Tieria Erde's EvilTwin]]? Each has already had more than one occasion of seeming to manipulate the others, and it's only eight episodes into the season. And just to make things more confusing, ''all three'' claim to still be following Schenberg's true plan. At least two must be lying or mistaken, but which ones? As it turns out [[spoiler:they all are, not a single one is actually trying to follow the plan and are instead attempting to claim power for themselves (though their individual greed is actually all already factored into the real plan). Regene and Wang Liu Mei get killed by Ribbons' minions after being badly out played by him and Ribbons himself is killed by Setsuna. And in Regene's case, death is less of a setback than you might think]].

* Silas Blisset from ''{{Hollyoaks}}'' of all shows. "You'd better raise your game or I may grow weary of such a dull opponent."

* Dumbledore in JKRowling's ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books is another good Chessmaster, especially in the later books where everything he does (even [[spoiler:[[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning his own death]]!]]) seems to be somehow related to some grand plan years in the making. [[spoiler:In fact, "some grand plan years in the making" is a pretty good description of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'']].

* The RedSkull, as portrayed in ''CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', was so DangerouslyGenreSavvy in [[spoiler:dispersing his resources throughout Europe]] that he was able to make his DoomsdayDevice. [[spoiler:Captain America and his allies were only able to stop his final plan at the last possible moment]].
* [[spoiler: Miles Axlerod]] from ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} Cars 2]]''. In order to turn all the cars in the world away from alternative energy, [[spoiler: Axlerod]] actually invents an explosive chemical called Allinol which he pretends is actually a safe alternative fuel, and he promotes Allinol with the World Grand Prix, a series of races where the world's fastest racecars must compete in three races taking place in different parts of the world. [[spoiler: Axlerod]] then order his [[TheDragon Dragon]], Professor Z and his army of [[{{Mooks}} Lemons]] to use a powerful radiation cannon to blast away said racecars once the race is in session, then makes everyone think that Z is the one behind the evil plot and not him. After the second race, which takes place in Italy, [[spoiler: Axlerod]] tells everyone that Allinol is actually dangerous and forces the racecars to use ordinary fuel, because since [[spoiler: Axlerod]] secretly owns the largest oil supply in the entire world, he and the Lemons will become unstoppable once alternative energy has been shunned from society, but tricks Lightning [=McQueen=] into still using Allinol so that the Lemons can blow him up. Unfortunately for [[spoiler: Axlerod]], Sarge secretly removed the Allinol from [=McQueen=]'s body and instead replaces it with [[TheOtherDarrin Fillmore's]], and as a result he has no other choice but to install a detonator onto Mater's body as a last-minute attempt to kill that racecar.

* In ''LittleSweetheart'' nine year old Thelma (8 and 364 days at the start of the movie) manipulates her new and only friend, her mother, her uncle, the police, the new neighbors who happen to be bank robbers on the run and everyone else she meets throughout the movie. [[spoiler: Only one thing goes wrong: her friend doesn't die after going face down in the ocean after an arm shot and what was either a torso or '''headshot''' for several minutes. The friend is also nine]].

* Rotti Largo from ''RepoTheGeneticOpera'' is so good at these, it sometimes gets hard to find things that ''aren't'' orchestrated by him.

* ''WildThings'' peels back layer after layer of deception until the real Chessmaster is revealed. The studio must have liked this idea, because they did it ''two more times'' with direct-to-video sequels.

* A downplayed version gets subverted in ''Series/{{Noob}}'' Season 3 finale. Two of the protagonists arrive at the only place where they can destroy an item that can put them in big trouble with the game authorities if discovered in their possession. Their former Guild Master, who wants them kicked out of the game, suddenly shows up, claims to have requested on of the {{MMORPG}}'s Game Masters and plans to fight them while waiting for its arrival. When asked if he had been planning this all along, the former Guild Master replies that had just been spying on them and had come up with the plan on the spot.

* ''Comicbook/TheAvengers'' villain Immortus was always a Chessmaster in a big way, but in the ''Avengers Forever'' series it turned out he was a Chessmaster on a far greater scale than anyone had imagined, he [[spoiler:had manipulated virtually every event in the history of the Avengers simply to prevent the human race from becoming dangerous enough that the malevolent Time Keepers would wipe them out to preserve their own existence]].

*** ...Who is subsequently OutGambitted by the Illusive Man. He knew that [[spoiler: Liara]] had no hope of finding the Shadow Broker alone, so he sent her data tipping her off to the Broker's location and plans. After she dispatched and replaced the Shadow Broker, the Illusive Man recognized that the new Shadow Broker's organization was at an all time low in power from the recent coup. So he sent a small army of Cerberus soldiers to destroy her main base and splinter her organization. [[spoiler: Liara]] just barley managed to escape.

* TheKingpin is another Chessmaster, especially where ''{{Daredevil}}'' is concerned. (Daredevil seems to attract them -- even the two-bit villain Mysterio became one when he took on DD.)
* Metron of ''NewGods'', who is an EnsembleDarkHorse thanks to his unemotional, bipartisan manipulation of events.

* Other than Father, ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' has a large number of heroic Chessmasters, including [[ColonelBadass Roy Mustang]], [[LadyOfWar Olivia Mira Armstrong]], [[ObfuscatingStupidity General Grumman]], and of all people, [[spoiler:[[CloudCuckoolander Hohenheim]]]], who is revealed to have been planning a counter to Father's moves for years.

* Azula of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' -- TheVamp, MagnificentBastard, and PsychoForHire all rolled into one.

* Lucy is this in ''{{Thirteen}}''. She [[MindScrew tells Kendra she shouldn't kiss Brett because she's a good girl]]. Then all she has to do is turn Brett's head for [[spoiler: an AccidentalKiss between [[HoYay Brett and Archie]] ]] then when [[spoiler: Evan reunites Brett and Kendra]] Lucy [[spoiler: [[GossipEvolution starts a rumor]] about Kendra and Evan]]

* A non-villain example is Sereph Lamington from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}''. His BatmanGambit was so well executed that he qualifies for this trope. Sending his most loyal angel on a false assassination mission (knowing that she'll take the change in mission he was expecting), turning the ambitions of his 2nd in command to his advantage (humans, angels, and demons had to share in it) which causes said traitor to be exposed to him (and punished). Even his battle with Laharl was part of the plan. There's a reason why he's the Seraph, and this is it. Far more intelligent than he looks.

* Senator/Chancellor/Supreme Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine in the ''StarWars'' prequel trilogy. Got a less-than-scrupulous faction to blockade/invade his backwater homeworld just to get the old leader kicked out and himself elected in the process. Then gets his apprentice to start a war to increase his authority under "wartime powers". Then gets his sworn antitheses to attempt to thwart him so he can declare them enemies of the state and use his "severely disfigured in an attempt on my life" sob story to get enough sympathy to be named dictator for life. While [[PlayingBothSides playing both sides of the board]], so as to have a backup plan if something went wrong (presumably, just sabotage the clones from the Republic side and conquer the galaxy with droids. Not that he ever needed to.)

* In the Literature/SherlockHolmes stories, both Professor Moriarty (Holmes's nemesis) and Sherlock Holmes himself demonstrate considerable Chessmaster talents, most notably in "The Final Problem." Unfortunately, most of the actual plays and counterplays take place offscreen and are merely [[NoodleIncident alluded to by Holmes]].

** There are many theories that the chessmaster from the song is none other then Jack from LordOfTheFlies. "Turning all against the one" is the best evidence of this, referring to how Jack turned everyone against Ralph. Other parts of the song refer to Simon, "and no one even knew, it was really only you" referring to his death at the hands of Jack and the other boys, thinking he was a monster.

** Dragons play ''xorvintaal'', the Great Game in which they use mortal servants as chess pieces to compete for each others' hoards. The game itself is [[CalvinBall far too complex for mortals to understand]] (a dragon that is killed as a result loses, of course, but seeing as only the most powerful dragons play it, that rarely happens), but in the small term can shape entire lives. In the long term, it shapes ''continents'' - WorldWarI would have been a particularly complex ''xorvintaal'' maneuver, with WorldWarII being a good counter-move. Just as a consequence of powerful creatures to who WeAreAsMayflies getting bored.

* The Sith Emperor of ''StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' managed to be the ManBehindTheMan for nearly all of the major events of the galaxy since the Exar Kun War, including all of the events in the ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' series. He manipulated [[BloodKnight the]] [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Mandalorians]] into attacking Republic space leading them into the Mandalorian Wars, a devastating war which he orchestrated entirely to lead Revan to him, who he took as his apprentice and sent off to find the Star Forge. When this failed due to Malak's betrayal and Revan's subsequent redemption, he set up puppet leaders on Republic worlds on the Outer Rim, infiltrated the Jedi Order, and rigged the Mandalorian gladiator tournament to place a Sith agent as the new Mandalore. All of this was in preparation for their strike on the Republic border worlds, in which he struck while the Mandalorians (under the leadership of aforementioned Sith agent) blockaded Coruscant and disrupted Core World trade routes. At the time of the first cease-fire, his Sith Empire controlled nearly half of of the known galaxy--the closest any Sith Lord has gotten to conquering the galaxy until Emperor Palpatine himself, nearly four millenia later.

* BenjaminFranklin spearheaded the early American response to British surveillance during the American Revolution by devising a system of counter-surveillance, securing aid, playing a role in privateering expeditions against the British, and waging a public relations campaign on behalf of the patriots. He also played the role of TheChessmaster during his and {{JohnAdams}}'s diplomatic tour of duty in France, where Franklin's political savvy and understanding of how to play the game of court politics allowed him to secure French support for America during the Revolution.

* Tao from the ''Wildstorm'' comics universe, especially as written by AlanMoore or Ed Brubaker.

* AleisterCrowley of ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' is TheManBehindTheMan to all of Academy City. He executes several plans at once, some of which are designed to fail in order to further another, and it's not sure whether the failed plan is an actual failure. A character comments that, for Aleister, even the entire planet could just be a resource waiting to be used and discarded.