The Queen's Gambit

Beth steadies herself with tranquilizers instead of drinking alcohol, and she decides that she wants to reconnect with Jolene. She calls Methuen and speaks with Mrs. Deardorff, who tells Beth that Jolene lives in Lexington and gives Beth Jolene’s phone number. Beth calls Jolene, and they meet for dinner. They are excited to see each other, and Jolene admits to following Beth’s career in magazines. Jolene also returns Beth’s original copy of Modern Chess Openings, which she stole out of anger for Beth being adopted. The two catch up and Beth admits her drinking problem to Jolene and asks for her help. Jolene, with a degree in physical education, invites Beth to the gym the next day to join her in training.

The first day at the gym is difficult for Beth, as the drinking makes her weak. At the cafeteria afterward, Jolene scolds Beth on her diet, and when Beth returns home, she throws out her many frozen dinners and stops herself from drinking. Beth continues working out with Jolene and receives a letter from the Christian Crusade, an evangelical group interested in sponsoring her trip to the tournament in the USSR. Beth almost throws it away but remembers a conversation with Benny about how Christian groups will often fund chess players. She calls him to ask if she should let them and he tells her yes, and to ask if they can fund him as her coach.

Beth arrives in San Francisco and finds herself stationed at Board One. She is nervous to compete in her first game since her failure at the Kentucky State Championship, but she beats her first opponent convincingly. Afterward, people ask for her to sign their copies of Chess Review. Beth wins the tournament, and when she returns to Kentucky, she finds a letter from the Christian Crusade with a check for $4,000 for her and Benny’s trip.

When Beth receives a call from Mrs. Deardorff informing her that Mr. Shaibel died of a heart attack, Beth and Jolene go to the funeral. On their drive, Beth thinks of how much it hurt to lose chess after Mrs. Deardorff banned her from playing and how different her life might have been if she’d had the same support and opportunities as others, like Benny. After the funeral, they stop at Methuen and Beth goes down to the basement. In the basement, Beth finds articles and pictures from her tournaments on the wall and realizes that Mr. Shaibel followed her career.

Back at home, two women from the Christian Crusade visit Beth to see if she agrees with their evangelical goals. Beth resists their demand that she make a statement in support of their mission and gives the money back to them, not wanting to appease them. She calls Benny afterward, and he is furious, saying he does not want to talk to her. With limited funds for her trip, Beth calls the State Department to ask for help. Though they like the idea of her possibly beating the Soviets, they cannot approve any money for her. They will, however, send an escort from the department with her in place of Benny.

Beth and Mr. Booth, the State Department escort, fly together to the USSR. Beth misses Benny, but she is committed to beating Borgov, stopping herself from drinking any alcohol or taking tranquilizers. The tournament is a small invitational, and Beth will play the Russian greats of Borgov, Luchenko, Laev, and Shapkin. At the pre-tournament meeting, Beth feels out of place among these men, though as they leave, Luchenko greets her and tells her he looks forward to playing her.

Beth’s first opponent is Laev, and she realizes that the Russian players will not take her seriously at first, not because she is a woman, but because she is American. The game progresses slowly, but Beth finally finds an opening for an attack and Laev, previously calm and self-assured, begins to take the game seriously. Beth puts him in a difficult situation, and he resigns, shaking her hand. At dinner that night, the Russian players sit together and laugh, with Beth on the other end, alone amongst the other international players. When the director announces the results of the day, Beth discovers that only she and Borgov are undefeated.

The next day, Beth plays a man named Duhamel and beats him in a mere hour. Afterward, she walks around, exploring the area. She finds a park with old men playing chess at tables and is shocked when they recognize her. The men smile and celebrate her, shaking her hands. Beth defeats Hellström and the Shapkin next. Beth’s fifth match is against Luchenko, the oldest of the players. The game is difficult and eventually reaches a near stalemate. As they play, Beth grows to hate the man she cannot find a way to beat. After a long contest, they enter an adjournment and Beth seals her next move in an envelope. That night, as she walks through the hotel, she passes an open door and sees Borgov contemplating his own adjournment over a board with other Soviet players. Beth realizes she needs help like that if she is to beat Borgov.

Beth’s first match of the morning is a four-and-a-half-hour struggle against a man named Flento. Beth wins after capturing all his pieces, then tries to rest for her continuation with Luchenko. She knows her game the next morning will be against Borgov, and she tries to calm herself and focus on the task ahead. Luchenko and Beth resume their game, and it opens up in Beth’s favor. Though it takes a long time, and both are exhausted by the end, Luchenko resigns with a smile. After the game, he tells Beth, “You are a marvel, my dear. I may have just played the best chess player of my life” (231).

Wanting to take a different approach than her previous games against Borgov, Beth starts with the Queen’s Gambit. He answers all her moves, and when Beth sees his quiet and calm expression, she cannot help but be afraid. Despite this, the two players are evenly matched, and Borgov suggests an adjournment. Borgov seals his next move. That night, as Beth is sure Borgov analyzes what to do next with his team, Beth sits for an interview. She tells the reporter about Methuen and how Mr. Shaibel taught her chess.

Beth wakes early in the morning and struggles to clear her mind for the game, sure Borgov is more than prepared. Her phone rings, and when she answers it, she finds Benny on the other line with his friends. They have been following her match with Borgov, and they suggest ways to counteract his possible strategies. For almost an hour they strategize, and Beth finds herself thankful for Benny’s coaching. Despite her preparations with Benny, Borgov begins a line of play she is not ready for. She looks out to the crowd, shocked by its size, and visualizes the board with the same clearness she had at Methuen. She finds a way to attack Borgov and pursues it. Borgov offers a draw, and though she cannot see a way to win yet, Beth refuses. She soon finds an advantage and forces him to resign. They stand, and to her surprise, Borgov hugs her.

After the final game, there is a reception, but Beth tires of the affair and requests a car back to her hotel. On the way, she reflects on finally achieving her goal of defeating Borgov and sets her sights on unseating him as World Champion in two years. She asks the driver to let her out at the park with the chess players. She finds an open seat and realizes that the man across the table does not recognize her. She asks if he wants to play chess.