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Surprise Checkmate: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
In reality, the endgame of
In fiction, checkmate more often than not comes as a complete surprise, leaving the losing player baffled and the winning player smug about his intellectual superiority. Often paired with a handsome remark ("I believe, sir, that this is checkmate"). This works very well if the work is emphasizing the loser's obliviousness, but quite a few works use this trope to emphasize the winner's skill and foresight, no matter how unrealistic that might be. (Also, giving the audience a clear view of the board is only optional.)
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{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* In the ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' episode "Bohemian Rhapsody", Edward is completely surprised when her opponent puts her in checkmate. Her opponent is also surprised when Ed announces a move that will one-mate him, but then decides to not do it. Of course, Edward is an idiot savant with no formal chess training and her opponent is senile, so either of them being surprised at the other isn't really that surprising.
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* Obviously occurs far more often when one player is a new to the game.
** The Fool's Mate<ref>1. g4 e5 2. f4 Qh4++</ref> is a perfect example, though it only rarely happens because it requires a novice player to make a critical opening move mistake.<ref>While opening with 1. g3 ... 2. Bg2 is a hallmark of hypermodern play and a valid way to build a solid pawn structure while maintaining central square protection, opening with 1. g4 (or "The Grob") is widely considered the worst possible opening move as it loosens the entire kingside structure and prevents the critical h4 square any sort of defensive coverage</ref> Players caught off-guard by this rather surprising mate never fall for this one again, nor will any spectators who see it happen to the novice player.
** The [[wikipedia:
* Although it's rare, there have been games at the master level where a check was answered by a checkmate. [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1009425 Chessgames.com] lists six such games between 1850 and 2002.
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