Chess

‘The Queen’s Gambit’ – Walter Tevis

When she is sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth Harmon soon discovers two ways to escape her surroundings, albeit fleetingly: playing chess and taking the little green pills given to her and the other children to keep them subdued. Before long, it becomes apparent that hers is a prodigious talent, and as she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings she is able to forge a new life for herself. But she can never quite overcome her urge to self-destruct. For Beth, there’s more at stake than merely winning and losing.

Having enjoyed the television series immensely, I was really keen to read the original story. In my opinion, I think the screen adaptation was stronger, simply because I found the chess references in the book hard to follow. Easier to visualise on the television, these moments in the book were less interesting to me.

The theme of addiction significantly impacts Beth’s behaviour. Not only does she become addicted to the thrill of winning chess, but also the tranquilisers that were distributed at the orphanage. The welcome affects continue to follow her as she ages, although it is almost unbelievable that she is still only just 18 in the closing scenes of the novel. Beth certainly has an eventful early life and I was fascinated to read about her mathematical brain, calculating all possible moves in her chess games.

Certainly chess is a complex game and I think the way Tevis portrays the intellect behind the moves was fascinating. With different move combinations to be studied, Beth’s brain is a marvel as she foresees how her opponent will respond to certain plays. This is where the television series really helped as I found reading about the chess sequences were harder to follow compared to watching them play out in front of me.

Success is Beth’s hamartia and I was keen to see how she would cope when things did not go to plan. Undoubtedly, she turns to her addiction but I enjoyed watching her she realises this is destroying her love for the game. Her background is certainly tragic and I really sympathised when her mother passes during a tournament in Mexico. At this point, Beth seems more alone than ever before and despite presenting herself as a strong chess player, you cannot ignore the private vulnerabilities she displays.

I enjoyed watching how this young orphan grows to achieve her dreams. In the closing chapter I was rooting for her to succeed, even if I did not quite grasp the chess moves. I loved that Benny makes a welcome return at the end and that Beth was not alone in Russia, trying to defeat such a hard opponent. I have read that there is a possibility of a second series and would be curious to see what happens next to Beth: certainly in this book, Tevis makes it slightly open-ended as to what is in store for Beth in the future. Does she continue to consume chess or will her addiction be her ultimate downfall?

A good read and one I recommend watching with the series. It was an interesting story, almost a “rags to riches” and, despite Beth’s flaws, she was an admirable and determined character throughout.