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Surprise Checkmate (view source)

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{{trope}}
In reality, the endgame of chess[[Chess]] is where one player knows he is about to lose and either gives up or clings on to the odd chance that he can find a way out.
 
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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== [[Comic Books]] ==
* One issue of ''[[Black Panther]]'' has him facing off against the Kingpin in chess, using the game as a metaphor for their coming conflict. Kingpin gets him in check and talks about how he'll always be several steps ahead, and is then immediately checkmated. When this appeared on ''Scans Daily'' a suggestion for followup dialogue was given.
{{quote| '''Kingpin:''' That's not checkmate. For one thing, that's a bishop. Bishops can only move diagonally. And you even put it on the wrong colored space.<br />
'''T'Challa:''' Indeed. You will find that I [[Badass Boast|do not play by your rules.]] }}
* Though not a checkmate, an example between [[Iron Man|Tony]] and [[Fantastic Four|Reed]] during [[Marvel Civil War|Civil War]] came close enough. The two are having a debate whilst playing chess on 10 different boards or so, and at the end of the conversation, Reed's been put into check on all 10 boards ''simultaneously''.
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== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
* ''[[FoxTrot]]''. Roger loves chess and invariably loses, despite his eternal hope that he'll win next time. Crowning example: he lets Jason have the first move, and Jason proceeds to rattle off a winning string of notation (The ''[[Press Start to Game Over|four-move Scholar's Mate]]'', [[Genius Bonus|if you're paying attention]]) without Roger setting up the board.
{{quote| '''Roger''': Methinks my game may be getting a bit too predictable.}}
** The exact surprise can vary. For one Sunday comic, Roger spends multiple panels realizing the game is over no matter what he does. Andy wearily says, "Face it, Roger -- you win." He begs for one more game anyway.
 
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* In the ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' episode "Overdrive", Cyborg is able to checkmate Raven who freezes in shock.
* [[Justified Trope|Justified]] in the ''[[Xiaolin Showdown]]'' episode "Oil in the Family," in which [[Brilliant but Lazy|Raimundo]] and an [[Rule of Cool|intelligent, British-accented T-Rex]] play a game of chess with giant, dinosaur-themed pieces. The T-Rex isn't playing to win: it's trying to trap/knock out Raimundo with the giant chess pieces so it can eat him. Raimundo, meanwhile, is focusing on the checkmating the T-Rex to win the showdown.
* In ''[[Men in Black (animation)|Men in Black]]'''s animated series, Jay loses at least twice to an imprisoned [[You Will Be Assimilated|Alpha]], but this may have been because Jay was trying to pump Alpha for information and not focusing on the game. This becomes a [[Chekhov's Skill]] -- Alpha—Alpha won both games with the same distraction tactic, and when he escapes and starts an attack, Jay realizes there's more to the plan. Alpha's retreat includes a transmission, complimenting Jay on managing a stalemate.
* In one episode of ''[[Futurama]]'', two robots are playing chess. All the pieces are in their starting position, and the robot playing white announces a checkmate in some large amount of turns. The astounded robot playing black exclaims that he's lost again and offers the robot playing white a rematch.
 
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** And sometimes, it's a surprise to BOTH players, like in [http://turneringsservice.sjakklubb.no/viewgame.aspx?TID=TromsoBymesterskap2012-TromsoSjakklubb&GROUP=&gameno=43 this game]. White wins a piece in move 14, but opens up the opportunity for a four move checkmate.
* 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:Scholarchr(27)Scholar's mate|Scholar's Mate]], or Shepherd's Mate, is another beginner's mistake that, unlike the Fool's Mate, is extremely common.
* 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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