Keep It in Check, Mate

"You know what my nickname was in chess club?The chess vulture because I peck away at my opponents until there's nothing left but a rotting carcass."

- Sylvester to Walter

"Keep It in Check, Mate" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of Scorpion and the sixty second of the series overall. It aired on February 13, 2017. 

Synopsis
Walter and Sylvester enter an international chess competition under cover on foreign soil for Team Scorpion in order to extricate a U.S. spy before her identity is exposed.

Plot
Happy and Cabe are playing Stratego on the rooftop. Happy’s dad arrives. Cabe breaks the news that he wanted to see Happy’s dad to get him to talk to the FBI about the death of a man named Sunny. Happy is surprised. Cabe wants him to testify against Sunny. Cabe worked out a deal for Happy’s dad. He turns himself in by midnight, they bring him to jail, transfer him out of state and release him with a new identity. Happy is angry. She thought Cabe and her were friends. Meanwhile, Sly and Walter are fighting each other via their robot hands. Sly’s motor blows up. Ralph comes in. He is distressed. Two girls invited him to the Valentine’s Day dance. He is torn. The guys try to give him advice until Paige comes in. Paige wants to know what’s going on. They won’t talk. She twists Sly’s ear – he spills.

Cabe comes in. They have a case. A Sardovian spy for the USA was murdered. The team needs to play in a chess tournament to save the life of another spy who is a professional chess player. It is a challenge given the guys are super competitive. Sly and Walter prep for the big game and both win wild card spots. They leave to Sardovia where the tournament is. Happy stays behind with her dad to try and figure out a solution.

The team walk to the event. They see the agent who gave them the case. He is being arrested. Walter declares that they will have to take on the case on their own. Cabe instructs them to grab pro player Natalia and get to CIA headquarters. Paige plans to get her alone at some point when she goes to the ladies room.

The guys enter the event. Natalia is introduced. Sly and Walter will play her in the finals. Meanwhile, Paige and Toby scope out the women’s room to see where they can get Natalia out of there once they meet her in the ladies room.

The tournament begins. Sly and Walter are holding their own. They quickly rise up the boards. On break, Sly and Walter exchange some competitive words. At the same time, Toby and Paige are putting together something interesting. They begin pouring bags of ingredients into the outside dumpster. They are creating a fluffy muffin like landing.

Sly and Walter compete against one another. One of them has to be the loser and forfeit so they can get to Natalia. Neither one of them wants to forfeit.

Happy is looking at a blueprint of the prison with her dad. She has a plan. He isn’t happy. He thinks he should do what Cabe says.

During their fiery competition, Sly wins against Walter. He gets up, dancing with excitement and disrupts the board. He is disqualified. Walter lost, he is also out of the game. The man that she is now playing uses noise cancelling headphones because he thinks other players are sending their thoughts into his head. They are going to use high-frequency waves into his headphones. They send sound waves and send the man running, rushing to the men's room to throw up. This makes room for Walter to play against Natalia.

Happy’s dad wants to turn himself in. Cabe comes in and cuffs him. Happy says her goodbyes while whispering plans for her dad to get away.

Walter is chosen to play Natalia. He is having trouble getting the message to her since they both have microphones on in front of the crowded room. They start to discuss produce so he can give her the code words "green beans". Once she understands Walter manages to use the chess table to send her a single to go to the water closet. She wins and asks to go to the ladies room.

The authorities arrive as they try to get Natalia. Paige is alone in the bathroom when Natalia comes in. They help her escape. They have to jump into the dumpster if they want to get out. They manage to land safely. Toby drives the getaway dump truck. The cops pick up on their trail. The team puts their heads together. Happy thinks they need to go under the border. They just need to slow the cops down. They manage and get ahead. Toby runs off by foot. The authorities shoot at the dumpster. When they open the dumpster it’s all bread, the women are missing.

The girls and Toby are underground. Natalia thinks they are the oddest bunch of agents. She tells Paige about why she stayed in Sardovia – for her dad and to finish his mission, spreading the truth.

Happy watches the prison cameras. Her father doesn’t follow the plan. She is angry, crying. Cabe comes in. She yells at him – you got what you wanted. He apologizes, saying he didn't get what he wanted. He didn't want to see Happy's heart break. She runs to his arms and starts crying.

The team is back together at the warehouse. Ralph needs advice. Paige leaves to let the guys give him the advice he needs. They tell him that he needs to appreciate his mom, show her she is still a great mother. They all eat Valentine’s desserts. Toby offers some to Cabe. He doesn’t want to eat. He is upset about Happy. Toby explains that sometimes there is pain. There is nothing you can do about it. Happy has Cabe, he can step up as her father.

Ralph asks Paige for help to learn how to dance. She is thrilled. Sly and Walter decide to try to play a chess game. When Walter says that he sneezed on purpose during their matches in the garage five years ago, Sly jumps up and throws the board into the air.

Main

 * Elyes Gabel as Walter O'Brien
 * Katharine McPhee as Paige Dineen
 * Robert Patrick as Cabe Gallo
 * Eddie Kaye Thomas as Toby Curtis
 * Jadyn Wong as Happy Quinn
 * Ari Stidham as Sylvester Dodd

Recurring

 * Riley B. Smith as Ralph Dineen

Guest

 * Jamie McShane as Patrick Quinn

Trivia
In minute 17:05 of the episode, one female chess player makes an invalid chess move with her knight. She makes it hop horizontally over a chess piece to its left and captures it. However, knights move in an "L" shape.

Grüne Bohnen