The Queen's Gambit: As Told By The Chess Games
From the moment The Queen’s Gambit was first released on Netflix it has rocked the world, topping the worldwide charts for many weeks in a row. This limited miniseries, which is based on the book written by Walter Tevis, follows a young, orphaned girl as she learns and perfects the game of chess.
She first is introduced to the game when she is cleaning erasers and sees the custodian, Mr. Shailbel studying a chess position. Intrigued, Beth begs him to teach her how to play. After repeated requests he reluctantly accepts and due to her use of spatial intelligence, which is the ability to visualize with the mind’s eye, she improves rapidly.
Below is the position in which Beth won her first game. She utilizes her strong bishop and passing pawn to win the game.
Beth’s first win (vs Mr. Shaibel):
When Beth can beat him easily and repeatedly, Shaibel introduces her to the local high school chess club teacher, Mr. Ganz, whom she also easily beats. Impressed, he invites her to the high school to play a simultaneous against the entire club. This proves no challenge and she later comments, while eating a box of chocolates, how poorly they all played.
After some time passes, Beth is adopted by a suburban couple that go by the names Alma and Allston Wheatly. However, what would seem to many as a happy situation turns out to be quite the opposite. Allston and Alma are not in a happy marriage and they are both, Allston more than Alma, distant from Beth. In addition to all of this, Beth is teased at school for her bland, drab, unstylish clothing as well as her being a “nerd”. This all changes when she learns about the Kentucky State Championship. Having no money of her own, she sends a letter to Mr. Shaibel telling him about the tournament and making a deal to split the money if she wins. The custodian, who has secretly been following Beth’s chess career, duly sends her the entrance fee knowing that she will have no trouble winning. He was right. Even though this was Harmon’s first chess tournament she, much to the astonishment of the bystanders who had not expected much from an unrated player, cruises through the first few rounds. The next day, she faces the defending state chess champion, Harry Beltik. Beltik, having seen how Beth swatted away her previous opponents tries to make her uncomfortable. He arrives late to the game, loudly drinks his coffee, and slams the clock. Harmon, however, tunes out these distractions to take home the State Championship Title (as well as some cash).
Harmon vs Beltik:
The game was based on:
Rashid Gibiatovich Nezhmetdinov vs Genrikh Kasparian Spartak Team Ch (1955), Riga LAT Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack. Mindeno Variation Exchange Line (B11)
After returning home triumphant, Beth discovers that Allston has left Alma. No longer having any financial support, Beth and Alma are in desperate need of a way to make a living and having seen the business in chess decide to travel the country in search of tournaments. They travel all around the US and visit Cincinnati, Las Vegas, among other places. In Las Vegas, however, her progress is slowed down and despite storming into an early lead she is held back by Benny Watts. This loss was Beth’s first official one and cost her clear first place.
After Benny gets the advantage in the Sicilian and Beth misses an opportunity to draw the game, Watts uses a tactic to fork the king and knight.
Beth’s first loss (vs Benny Watts):
After losing the game, instead of giving up, Beth instead decides to focus her attention on the rest of the world. After graduating from high school, she goes to Mexico City for an international tournament. There she faces her first real challenge, thirteen-year-old Soviet prodigy Georgi Girev, and is not able to beat him after five hours of play. The next day, since the game was adjourned, the game continues. Beth, who has decided to use the same tactics as Harry Beltik, rapidly plays moves and then immediately walks away from the board. This strategy works and Georgi is taken aback, quickly blundering away his good position. After the game, Beth compliments Girev, saying that he is the best player she has every faced. Little did she know that the challenge was yet to come.
Beth Harmon vs Georgi Girev:
This game is based on GM Dmitry Jakoveno vs. GM Daniel Stellwagen (2007)
The next day she faces the Soviet world champion, Vasily Borgov, in a fight for the top spot. Beth, not knowing much about Borgov, plays his favorite opening, the Sicilian and after he plays an unusual move, Beth, not knowing what to do, is easily pushed out of the way.
Beth vs Vasily Borgov:
This loss, in addition to the death of Alma, demoralizes Harmon and she slips into a depression, seriously struggling with alcohol and drug problems. However, Beltik, who is studying at a local college and has a crush on Beth, visits her home and makes her love chess again. Once Beth has recovered he helps prepare her for the next tournament, the US chess championship. Unsurprisingly, Benny Watts, a regular figure in this tournament, also participates.
In the opening rounds, the two of them both crush their opponents and head into the last day tied on points. The winner of their match will be the champion and will receive an invitation to play in the Grand Prix in Paris. Despite the importance of the match, Beth is inticed by Watts to play a few blitz games. The games do not go in Beth’s favor and she keeps on losing and losing, only stopped once she runs out of money to give away.
Beth vs Benny Watts (Blitz):
One of the blitz games is based on the match between GM Vladmir Kramnik (Benny) and GM Alexander Morozevich (Beth) where Kramnik built up too much pressure and forced Morozevich to resign.
Despite these demoralizing losses, Beth is able to mentally recover and beat Benny the next day. Afterwards, Harmon, needing to prepare for the big chess tournament in Paris, receives an offer from Watts to help her train. During this period, some of Watts’ friends come over and once again Beth and Benny challenge each other to blitz games. However, this time the result is different, and Beth is able to win all her games. Seeing that Beth was not being challenged, Benny asks her to play a simultaneous against him and his friend (another GM).
Beth vs Benny Watts (Blitz Simultaneous):
One of the many games played is based on the world-famous chess game, “A Night at the Opera”, that was played by Paul Morphy and Duke Karl. Morphy (Beth) uses a nice deflection tactic with his queen to allow his rook to mate on d8.
With this boost in confidence, Beth travels to the tournament in Paris. However, even though Beth starts off brightly, blowing away her competition, she is once again stopped by Borgov.
Beth Harmon vs Vasily Borgov:
This game is most likely based on Megaranto vs Perez in 2006. Once again Beth played the Sicilian but this time Borgov opted for a Najdorf. This time, just like the first, did not go well for Beth.
Depressed by the loss, Beth Harmon returns home to Kentucky and ignores Benny completely. Once again, she faces severe alcohol and drug problems and decides to not go to the World Championship. However, she is invited to be a guest star at the Kentucky State Championship, and, despite still being in an unsuitable condition, decides to keep her promise. After completing her duties, she quickly leaves the tournament and while opening her car door meets Harry. With his help, along with the help of her other chess friends, she is able to regroup and prepare for the championship.
After arriving in Soviet Russia, the location of the World Chess Championship, she is surprised by the strong chess culture there. She sees people crowding the televisions to see the game, she witnesses dozens of people playing chess in the parks, and she is able to see the team environment by watching how the Russians analyze their chess games together. Luckily, she is also not alone. There, with the press, was her old friend Townes and at home, helping her the entire time, was Benny Watts, Harry Beltik, and her other supporters.
She got off to an impressive start. Winning all her games against challenging opponents, including previous world champions and other top-rated player. However, she once again would be challenged by Borgov for the championship title.
Beth Harmon vs Borgov:
This game is an improvement on the game between Invanchuk vs Wolff in 1993. After playing for multiple hours, Borgov requested an adjournment; obviously hoping that his team of fellow Russian GMs would help him find a win. However, Beth, also receiving help from home was able to counter Borgov’s preparation and once they both deviated from what they had prepared, Beth calculated many moves ahead to find a wonderful winning combination.
The Queen’s Gambit, with help from both Kasparov and the famous American chess master, Pandalofi, immensely improved chess scenes in cinematography. The positions, the environment, and the overall feeling are, as many chess players can attest, realistic but they are also entertaining to watch, and it is of no surprise in the way The Queen’s Gambit has stormed onto the world stage.
