quote:
"This doesn't have to be just a cop/ serial killer type thing but even something like an evil parent keeping two lovers apart.
The main focus though is a very smart bad guy that doesn't get caught until the end OR possibly the bad guy getting away would be fine."
- it sounds like the exact description of Zhan Shi Li (Cambrian Period)
I'm not sure what type of chess he has there, but he plays it often and talks about chess - I guess it symbolizes he's ahead of others by being a strategist and planning his moves, he makes impression of somebody who cannot be shattered by anything, he uses cold calculation and acts with stoic calm.
Maybe he's not a "main focus" because the main focus is a pair of lovers, but that person is a base/pillar for the whole plot. Initially, he may not appear like that, but he gets more intense and terrifying. One of the greatest characters in the drama.
(not on your watchlist)