By Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins
Having watched Checkmate countless times over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that the plan to escape was not No.6’s own, but that of the Authorities – perhaps to prove to him that escaped from The Village was impossible, and that any future attempts would therefore be futile. Let’s look at the evidence:
As the story begins, we see the Villagers is taking part in a game of human chess. Although the three opening moves a standard, the fourth: ‘Knight to Knight’s Bishop’ is rather bemusing, which begs the question – if black represents authority, might that be an indication of their ability to change the rules at will?
We are then introduced to the enigmatic ‘Man with the Stick’, who blatantly grabs the attention of No.6 by ignoring the sudden presence of Rover while all the other villagers remain perfectly still. Surely if he had not been working on the side of the authorities, he’d have been attacked without question? Having made the acquaintance of this gentleman, No.6 is informed that if an escape plan is to be successful, then he must first distinguish between “black and white” – meaning, between Prisoner and Guardian. No.6 is told that this might be achieved by judging the attitude of each individual, suggesting that the more assertive among their number must therefore be Guardians.
Initially, he decides to apply this test to ‘The Rook’ (No.58), who had dared to make a move on his own initiative during the chess game the previous day. Having perceived that ‘The Rook’ is an individualist, No.6 feels that he is someone in whom he can confide. This was of course his first major mistake since No.58, having undergone rehabilitation at the hands of No.2, is himself intimidated by No.6’s apparent air of authority and is convinced that he is a Guardian.
Having been specifically sought out to attend the so-called “rehabilitation” session at the hospital, I suspect that No.6, and not ‘The Rook’, was the main subject of No.2’s experiment. By observing No.6’s reactions to number No.58’s apparent distress, No.2 may have learned much more about his guest’s behavioural patterns than might have otherwise been allowed. By subliminally pointing him in the direction of ‘The Rook’, No.2 had already begun to take control of the game.
As No.6 busies himself with his recruitment of more villagers ‘The Rook’, fearing that he himself may be implicated, presumably decides to betrays his new comrade by reporting his movements to No.2. This, of course, was exactly what had been expected.
Meanwhile, No.6’s continued rejection of ‘The Queen’ might’ve proved to be his second fatal error. If we are to assume that the story is based on the game of chess, then it must be accepted that ‘The Queen’ is the most powerful piece on the board, if only for her great mobility – i.e. she can move as far as she likes along any horizontal, vertical or diagonal line. Perhaps if No.6 had had a less arrogant, chauvinistic attitude toward her, he may have realised this. Ergo, she just might have proven to be his greatest ally(?).
Might we also speculate that by sending ‘The Queen’. out to openly pursue No.6, No.2 had, in effect, satisfied his quarry’s expectations, and had thus thrown him off his game?
Since the men in the Control Room appeared to be taking the radio message regarding the supposed plane crash as fact, it becomes apparent that No.2 was working alone. It’s at this point that No.6 fails to consider the possibility of a patrol of the coastal perimeter. He also fails to question the somewhat convenient positioning of the MS Polotska when broadcasting his Mayday. In his role as the grandmaster, and with the assistance of ‘The Rook’, No.2 is able to predict each and every move that No.6 will make in advance, and having placed his chess pieces perfectly on the board, No.6 soon to find himself in check!
The most puzzling incident of all, however, is the look of absolute astonishment on No.6’s face when he sees No.2 on the two-way monitor and realises that The Polotska is in fact their ship. Surely for a man of such intelligence and biting suspicion, the possibility must have occurred to him?
Checkmate!
In Conclusion
This episode, which was the first of the series in which No.6 was not seen as the only individualist in The Village, demonstrates how efficient and effective the authority’s surveillance systems were – proving how unlikely the possibility of escape is.
We also learn of a huge flaw in the make-up of No.6 character – that being his loss of reason when presented with what he considers to be a sure-fire means of escape. For someone so naturally suspicious, he certainly appeared to take ‘The Man With The Stick’ at his word. Clearly No.2 knew No.6 somewhat better than he knew himself, and he used that knowledge to teach his unruly ‘guest’ a lesson.
Anyone for a game of chess?
Facts & Figures
- Checkmate (or ‘The Queen’s Pawn’ as was its original title), was the third episode of The Prisoner to be shot. Filming began on Saturday 17th September, 1966 at Portmerion in North Wales, but Peter only took up residence in ‘The Green Dome’ some six weeks later at the beginning of November. All his scenes were filmed at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire.
- Part of the set seen in Checkmate was originally constructed for the making of the war film, The Dirty Dozen, which had been shot at Elstree earlier in the same year.
- Although Checkmate was one of the earliest episodes of the series to be recorded, it was the 9th episode to be broadcast in Britain, and the 11th in the USA.
- The karate chop that Peter executes as No.2, was totally authentic, and had been rehearsed behind closed doors for weeks prior to filming.
- Checkmate was the only episode of The Prisoner to show an interior view of the sinister Watchtower.
- Peter once said that the most nerve-racking part of playing No.2 was Patrick McGoohan’s insistence that he played the character as himself!
- In a recent poll in Six of One – The Prisoner Appreciation Society magazine – Checkmate came runner up only to Arrival in a vote of favourite episodes.
- One of the most puzzling comments in the episode comes from ‘The Man With Stick’, who congratulates No.6 on playing a “fine game of chess”. The fact that No.6 had merely been a lowly Pawn and had moved just two squares, didn’t appear to concern him!
- The only memento that Peter kept from his all-too-brief appearance in the series were the plimsolls he wore as No.2.
- Prisoner expert, Roger Langley, lists Peter amongst his top 20 favourite actors from the series, which boasts over 200 individual performers. He says the smooth but cold No.2: “Portrayed by Wyngarde fights to keep himself under control. The nearest we see to a show of aggression is the splitting of a plank by a deft karate blow. The village leader, with his scarf draped across his shoulder, could be a college professor. He is well-spoken, well-mannered and obviously well-bred. He is full of charm, but appears capable of applying whatever degree of force might be needed. Wyngarde capably brings off a performance of a man who will use his own disciplined methods to exert power over those who would conspire against him”.
Click below for more about ‘Checkmate’…
PETER WYNGARDE: The Official Website 