The Queen's Gambit: Who Rolls the Dice?

We always love a crazy genius. Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit is an ideal character of what I would want to become if I watch the show at 6. Harmon was sent to the orphanage after her birth mother’s car crash. She soon became the top of her class in mathematics and science; her maths teacher was shocked to see how she solved the problems so quickly and asked her to clean chalk erasers in order to find her something to do. This unintentional act changed Harmon’s life — she saw Mr. Shaibei play chess in the basement and became fascinated by the game. The green pills (Librium) served at the orphanage started Harmon’s hallucination: every night, she could visualize the chessboard on the ceiling and play chess in her mind. The imaginary chess board gave her power to move on and fight her way out to win championships. Harmon was the most successful female chess player the world had ever witnessed — the greatest female chess player in Soviet Union had never played with men, while Harmon broke the boundaries, and she won her games beautifully. 

There were struggles — the path to success is never an easy one. Harmon suffered from her addiction to alcohol and drugs. After Mrs. Wheatly passed away, Harmon let herself drown in wine and sorrow and could hardly see her own future which was once bright and promising. She thought the imaginary chess board was the indispensable tool in her winning streaks and depended heavily on drugs so that she could keep it around her. Luckily, her childhood friend came back and pulled her out of the swamp. Audiences also raise a glass to Harmon for not trapping herself in relationships between boys. Both Harmon’s deceased birth mother and adoptive mom find themselves miserable in marriages. Her birth mother received her PhD in mathematics from Cornell University — she would’ve been a successful researcher if she wasn’t in a painful, toxic relationship. Harmon’s adoptive mother Mrs. Wheatly, a lovely lady who had been supportive of Harmon in her tournaments, was smoking and holding a bottle of wine for the most of time and suffered from chronic illnesses — her husband neither asked nor cared about her until the last days of her life. Perhaps the tragedies of these two important women in Harmon’s life made her realize that women should be independent. She didn’t follow the “conventional” storylines: there should be a man/woman standing behind the rising star. I see Harmon come and take away all the prizes and titles she deserves — it is inspirational to see a powerful woman being out there, conquering the chess world like a Queen. Of course, this show draws the public’s interest into chess again: it shows us that winning your opponents on the chess board elegantly is no less exciting than winning a sports competition.

I would say Harmon rolls the dice in her life. She makes decisions simply because she would like to try it and doesn’t consider how it would impact the way others treat her. Taking off the lens of gender, Harmon’s character is built based on the conventional plots we see on many geniuses. Consider Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory — he is not the perfect mirror male reflection for Harmon, but he makes brave decisions, has good friends who have always got his back, works hard and stays at the top tier of his career field (interestingly, Sheldon has considered finding true love rather insignificant to his personal life before knowing Amy) as Harmon does. The producers of The Queen’s Gambit depict Harmon as a strong woman figure that challenges the rules and changes the game permanently in a field dominated by men. Undoubtedly, Harmon is successful — when she reunites with her first chess opponent, the girl sees Harmon as a representative for all female chess players. Her high school classmate is jealous of Harmon’s carefree life and her numerous travels around the globe. Audiences love this show; the huge blast coming along with it implies that everyone is satisfied with this new independent character. 

Nevertheless, not many have noticed that the show may still accidentally put Harmon into the male gaze. Who really rolls the dice when determining the criteria of success? When we discuss Harmon and the Queen’s Gambit, we often say that she’s unique — she’s not the “typical” genius or female character we used to see in other TV shows. Characteristics of Harmon are structured to separate her from other “regular” girls at school: she isn’t interested nor proficient in baking or other skills that a housewife like Mrs. Wheatley masters; she goes to the library to borrow autobiographies written by grand masters instead of making out with boys, and she never settles down. The producer’s preferences are indicated when Harmon goes back to Kentucky and sees her high school classmate busy with kids and hiding the many bottles of wine purchased. Is a smart, independent woman naturally superior over girls obsessed with outfits and boys, or does it become superior simply because it meets the standards of a typical successful man and opposes the traditional characteristics in previous female characters? Gender representations in the media have been biased for a long time, putting men in more dominant roles and women as subordinate figures who are more family-oriented. Efforts have been made to turn over the stereotypes in the media; however, opposing previous descriptions is not enough. A successful woman needs more than strong determination, outstanding talents, and inhuman self-control or aloofness. Harmon is unique indeed, yet this should be concluded from her talents in chess rather than how different she is from other girls.

To heroines, and all the strong and successful women out there: it’s alright to be vulnerable. It’s not a fault to love someone and devote yourself into a relationship. It’s OK to take a break or stay “ordinary” and become successful to your own definition without striving to meet the world’s standards or opposing anything. What makes TV shows intriguing is that they are modified for the better and exclude the dilemmas and difficulties we have in real life, but we should never apply the plots to ourselves. The fetters in gender only start to break when we embrace ourselves. At the end of the day, we ARE rolling the dice.