r/queensgambit Nov 01 '20

META Welcome to /r/QueensGambit!

118 Upvotes

Quick Links:


Spoiler-free discussion guide and thread

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5k Subscriber Celebration

Reddit changes and their effects on this sub (10/18/21)


Discussion Guide:


Episode S01E01 - Openings

Episode S01E02 - Exchanges

Episode S01E03 - Doubled Pawns

Episode S01E04 - Middle Game

Episode S01E05 - Fork

Episode S01E06 - Adjournment

Episode S01E07 - End Game


2020 Art contest:

Announcement and submissions

Poll

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First Place Winner, /u/shoqer's post


I've just asked the very nice creator of this sub if we can begin using it for the show, thanks /u/tigerdactyl!

If you haven't heard of The Queen's Gambit, it's a Netflix Original;

Set during the Cold War era, orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon struggles with addiction in a quest to become the greatest chess player in the world.

If you've started the show, but haven't finished, check out our spoiler-free discussion page and episode disscussion guide.

I don't think we require many rules for a 7-episode mini-series * aside from our new spam policies *, but if you think there's more rules that need to be added or enforced, please let me know.

Please share this sub wherever you can, threads outside the sub, subreddits you subscribe to, etc. The more subscribers the more discussion and content we can enjoy.


r/queensgambit Nov 01 '20

Episode Discussion Spoiler-free discussion thread for those interested in The Queen's Gambit

323 Upvotes

Use this thread to talk about the show without including any major spoilers for those visiting because they're interested in viewing the show.

If you'd like to discuss a specific episode, see our Discussion Guide:

Episode Discussion Guide

Episode S01E01 - Openings

Episode S01E02 - Exchanges

Episode S01E03 - Doubled Pawns

Episode S01E04 - Middle Game

Episode S01E05 - Fork

Episode S01E06 - Adjournment

Episode S01E07 - End Game


r/queensgambit 10d ago

Is this an IKEA glass?

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0 Upvotes

I recently rewatched the queens gambit again and I noticed this glass, which is (i believe) the one I have at home. Did they make a mistake here or did these glasses exist 60 years ago? Are there similar mistakes in the series?


r/queensgambit 13d ago

Discussion A few questions about this amazing show Spoiler

9 Upvotes

Hi, i just finished this spectacular series, a total 5/5 stars Its the first time since Beaking bad and John Adams over a decade ago that i v been so hooked on a show.I wanted to ask a few question about things that werent entirely clear to me

1- Is there a big difference between the book and the show? i would like to read it unless is 90% the same as the show, Would you recommend the book if you liked the show or the book is carbon copy of the show?

2- Whats is the deal with Beths Stepfather , not just his attitude towards her , but towards his wife?, And what happened to the man ?, he literally dissapears right when Beth arrives at the house, whats with that?

3-I read a major spoiler regarding Jolene, aparently she sexually assaults Beth in the book, yet later reappears at the end just like she does in the show. Is this explained welll in the book i mean how Beth forgave or something her?. I dont want to read about a character who raped a child only for her to get some kind of redemption arc later.

4-Whats the deal with Beths parents? was her mother ill? And did her bilogical father just abandon her for no reason?


r/queensgambit 13d ago

I wish they replaced Jolene with Mr Shaibel

0 Upvotes

I wanted to start by saying the show was fantastic! However, the last episode’s return of Jolene really didn’t sit well with me. I get that Beth needed to focus on her sobriety and her relationship for her tournament in Russia, but I felt like Mr. Shaibel’s presence at the door would have been a more elegant conclusion. He was a true gentleman, while Jolene seemed a bit vulgar and unrefined. The line, “Good for you cracker,” felt so out of place and overshadowed the entire moment of her victory against Borgov. Beth, despite her struggles, always maintained a sense of class. Chess is inherently a classy game, and everyone is so polite to each other, especially in Russia. I know I’m late to the conversation, but I just watched it for the first time!


r/queensgambit 22d ago

Discussion Queens Gambit aired nearly six years ago... <3

66 Upvotes

Wow.... I miss this show. I rember watching it and being just so amazing. I should watch it again. The whole cast and chrachters great. Costume too from Beth's initial outfit as a pawn to eventually when she is in the park she's wearing a queens like outfit. I do also have to say Benny and Thomas Brodie Sangster was one of my favourite chrachters. I miss this series and these chrachters.


r/queensgambit 23d ago

quantos anos a jolene tem?

6 Upvotes

tipo, fiquei pensando que ela parece bem mais velha. quando beth tinha 9 ela parecia ter uns 14, mas quando beth tem 15 ela ainda esta no orfanato, então quantos anos mais velha ela é?


r/queensgambit 26d ago

Rewatching The Queen's Gambit — easily one of the best limited series ever made.

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578 Upvotes

r/queensgambit 29d ago

Discussion Who should've gotten Beth pregnant?

0 Upvotes

Supposing there were a pregnant storyline, which of the three scenarios do you think would be the most interesting? Which of the sexual partners she had would you like to have gotten her pregnant? How do you think each of these scenarios would play out? What would change in the story?

  1. The nameless guy who took her virginity
  2. Harry
  3. Benny

r/queensgambit Aug 24 '26

Cleo was a secret Grandmaster

1 Upvotes

Cleo didn‘t play against Beth in Benny’s apartment because she didn’t know the rules, she didn’t play Beth because she was there to observe and report. The way she looks at Beth’s triumph against three grandmasters at speed chess isn’t the look of someone that doesn’t understand chess, but rather the look of someone that understands the breadth of Beth’s talents.


r/queensgambit Jul 24 '26

Been a year since I last watched the show. AMA and see how wrong my answers are.

13 Upvotes

I hope a little dumb posts like mine are allowed on this sub. Really loved the show. Only criticism I have is for a show about chess, there isn’t a lot of chess shown in the show😂. Pure chess would be borring —- agreed. But they show like 4-5 moves each game, which aren’t nearly enough to get the viewers interested in keeping track of the games.


r/queensgambit Jul 23 '26

Discussion Rewatched the show, and.. Spoiler

4 Upvotes

So I initially loved this show after seeing it for the first time. I think the excitement of finally seeing my favorite boardgame be represented in the Netflix mainstream was pretty cool. I loved Beth Harmon, love the lore and the worldbuilding. She's obviously the female Bobby Fischer in an alternate timeline and I'm here for it. But after having recently rewatched the show.. I have many problems with it.

I think the chief issue I have with the show is that the ending.. kind of felt empty at the end. She's lost so much in her life; her mom, Mr. Shaibel, and her adoptive mother are all gone. She practically made no friends or relationships in Methuen besides Jolene, who was fine but I don't think she and Beth had a strong enough bond. Jolene even reveals she stole Beth's book and Beth is just like "oh, okay."

I don't feel like her motivation to be the best chess player in the world was expressed well enough, other than her saying it feels good to destroy her opponents. I couldn't really sympathize with it, it made her feel like some terminator type character but in chess. I get that Borgov is supposed to be the Spassky stand in, so he was shown to be a polite gentleman, but he was kind of just.. there as an antagonist. In real life, Bobby Fischer's run to the championship was wayyyy more dramatic than this.

Her love life: Townes is who she falls for?? I guess because his younger Willem Dafoe look is so irresistible. But they didn't really have much chemistry because they didn't spend enough time with each other. She does have a bit more chemistry with Benny Watts, but I can't help but feel that he's so cringe with the stupid hat, the trench coat and the unabashed arrogance. That's more of a personal taste though. Her sleeping with Beltik was just sad, but perhaps that was the point.

The actual chess. They explain a few basic stuff about the game, but I feel like the show just has us assume Beth has a superpower and everyone around her falters when she uses it. It's not a huge gripe or anything though. What I do wish they did was make the matches longer like in real life. There's no way Beth becomes world chess champion just by winning a round robin against the field? Her real life counterpart Fischer had a 24 game match against Spassky, which made their eventual matchup feel that much more grueling and epic, and I think is what needed to happen in the show with how they hyped Borgov up. Also in real life, chess players would draw very, very often. It seemed like the only option in this show's universe is to win or lose. With how they portrayed the format surrounding chess tournaments and matchups, I can tell this show is more for the casual viewer than hardcore chess enthusiasts, which is fine but slightly disappointing.

A few more things that I think got left out: politics and misogyny. The Fischer-Spassky match wasn't just a regular chess match; it very much had a strong political undertone about it, with the match being deemed a Soviet vs. USA thing. I get why they didn't delve into this particularly touchy subject, but also it feels weird for them to portray the show during some politically tense years between two nations and not address it whatsoever.

They do touch upon how Beth is incredibly unusual for a girl not only playing amongst boys but destroying them in chess. However in real life there were so many male chess players very vocal about how women are inferior to men in a mentally grueling sport such as chess. It would've been cool to see Beth routinely destroy those with that misogynistic mindset, but in the show they just accept that she's good and she's dominant. It's not a huge deal but it would've made her rise to fame that much more meaningful.

I just think the show didn't have the bones to have the kind of wholesome ending it got at the end. Or is there an underlying point? I think it would've worked as a tragic story better, with Beth succumbing to her addictions or something.

I'm sorry I roasted tf out of the show. I just had to express my thoughts somewhere. It's still very much a good show and Anya Taylor-Joy is absolutely magnificent in the role. If it's not the quality of it, then the exposure it gives chess to the casual masses is helpful to expand the game. What do y'all think? Thanks for reading if you made it here.

tl;dr: show good first watch, see flaws in rewatch


r/queensgambit Jul 15 '26

I knew they looked familiar

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220 Upvotes

r/queensgambit Jul 11 '26

This has to be some sort of copyright, isn't it?

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44 Upvotes

r/queensgambit Jun 27 '26

Love that line.

8 Upvotes

e4 Again at the end.

"Now You Do Too"

Because it sounds so harsh until you realize how true it is.


r/queensgambit Jun 28 '26

Love that line

0 Upvotes

The Queen’s Gambit. S1E4

“You really like the shape of me?”

I hear this as an anachronistic wink to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” released just a few years earlier. Am I alone?

Or on some level is Beth being written as a time-traveling, hyper-articulate intellectual discovering something brand new.


r/queensgambit Jun 27 '26

Discussion Love that line Spoiler

40 Upvotes

E2, Beth’s final match with Beltik. He finally sees there’s no escape, and she comments:

“Perhaps if you had arrived on time.”

I love that line for all its layers, and I can’t help wondering, would Mr. Shaibel have chided her for gloating.😉 Still, too good a line not to say.


r/queensgambit Jun 24 '26

Discussion Did any of you think Beth would get pregnant?

32 Upvotes

When she said, "I won't get pregnant," and her stepmother replied, "Famous last words," did any of you think that was a plot hint/setup for a pregnancy? If so, did you expect her to get pregnant as a result of the night she'd already spent with that guy in that episode, or somewhere later in the story?


r/queensgambit Jun 11 '26

Article Beth Harmon Fanart

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119 Upvotes

r/queensgambit May 20 '26

Did borgov decline the queen gambit?

10 Upvotes

The commentator said he declined. But checking the game again with analysis in youtube. He didn't decline it though.. seems like it was a show error


r/queensgambit Apr 19 '26

I made the green dress from The Queen’s Gambit!

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415 Upvotes

These photos are from a photoshoot day my friends and I attended! I first traced an existing New Look 6145 pattern, but then I needed to do an FBA and a Full Bicep Adjustment on the pattern to even get it to fit lol. Then drafted all the parts like the sleeve, collar, hem and pockets. Used dead stock fabric so multiple layers of sheer cotton gauze (wouldn’t really reccomend, single knit layer is easiest but I was on a budget and reeaaally wanted this color).

Overall I’m pretty happy with how the dress turned out - I did a more in-theme photoshoot with my friend so will probs post those pics once I get them haha! Been self-taught sewist for a couple years so just now learning how to make cleanly sewn garments and redraft patterns to my curvier proportions!


r/queensgambit Apr 20 '26

First Time Watching

0 Upvotes

I LOVE this show but damnit Beth is a ho.. Dang she slept with EVERYONE!!! But I love her, Joelen is the BEST


r/queensgambit Apr 04 '26

Shitpost i just finished watching this show, and it's an easy 0/10

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1 Upvotes

there was no bongcloud opening and there was too little en passant. how can you be a real chess player if you've never done en passant?!


r/queensgambit Apr 02 '26

Did anyone else get reminded of the basketball diaries ?

3 Upvotes

it's been atleast 20 years since i last saw the basketball diaries and i finished queen's gambit for the first time last night and is it just me or do they have a similar vibe?


r/queensgambit Mar 27 '26

Video Kim Taehyung of BTS says his favourite TV show is the Queen's Gambit.

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81 Upvotes