“Checkmate” is episode nine of The Prisoner.
Rover is on the loose and everyone freezes. Bar one man, who Number Six sees, and follows to a chessboard laid out on the lawn. Six is invited to play as the Queen’s pawn. The Butler arrives with his own chessboard. The two players shout out instructions to the chess pieces and the Queen is talking to Six, as Number Two is watching from the control room. Six is talking about escape when it’s supposed to be him moving. Then a Rook moves without orders and is taken in for treatment and a substitute used. The Queen tells Six the Rook will be well looked after.
After the game, Six asks the winning player why he uses people. The latter says that psychiatrists say it satisfies the need for power, the only opportunity you get. They talk about escape, but the man says he’s too old for escape. Of course he had a plan; everyone has a plan. They all failed. It’s like the game; you have to distinguish between the blacks and the whites.
The Queen is following Six. She wants to know his plan for escape. If it’s any good, she can help. She knew other people’s plans, but they all failed. Six has to trust her. He doesn’t.
Number Two greets Six and asks if he enjoyed the game. They just want him to be happy. Six suggests a one-way ticket home would work. Two warns him they have ways to push him. And invites Six to get in the car. He’s going to the hospital; he thought Six would like to see the Rook.
They watch from observation as the Rook is wheeled into a room whilst unconscious. Number Two says this is based on Pavlov’s experiments. The Rook will be thirsty when he wakes. The doctor joins them in observation. The Rook wakes and, instead of staying where he is as told, tries to get water from a dispenser. There are four dispensers. None give water and one shocks him. The Rook is told he will get water when he obeys. He’s told to go to the dispenser that shocks him. He’s nervous, but he gets water, no shock. The doctor would like to try and break Number Six.
Six is making notes on people against a chess game in the paper. The Rook runs off and Six follows him and catches him. He then interrogates him. The Rook says one day they will go too far and he’ll die. Six asks why he’s there. Because he invented a new electronic defence system. He wanted all nations to have it to ensure peace, which is why he’s in the Village. But the plans were stolen anyway. Six says there are few of them left with independent minds. Because he’s a prisoner too. He wanted to make sure the Rook is the man he was after.
Number Two is told Number Six is with the Rook. They are talking about the prisoners and the guardians, but when Tow listens in, they’re talking about chess. When Two isn’t paying attention. Six tells the Rook that only a fellow prisoner would be intimidated by him. The guardians would not. They can devise an escape plan. First, though, they have to work out which of the residents are prisoners and which are guardians, by seeing who is intimidated.
Overall, this feels like an early episode, and indeed it was the third one filmed. The chessboard left marks on the lawn in many other episodes.