I’ve always preferred the book over its cinematic adaptation, movie, or series. I like my own sense of visualization, conjuring imagery constantly while reading subjecting characters and settings to my own prejudices and perceptions. I think I’d probably be in the minority, having read Fight Club before having watched it. Without getting into a debate over whether that makes sense or not, that’s how I prefer it. I have restrained myself from watching A Game of Thrones, wanting to read to ASOIAF before I do so. Some would say I’m lucky considering how season 8 panned out, but then what do I know. I somehow ended up contradicting myself by plunging myself into a weekend binge of the acclaimed Netflix TV series, the Queen’s Gambit, before having read the book it is based on. Funnily enough, I have little or no regret. (It’s awesome!)
Walter Tevis’ book is labeled as a Bildungsroman, a coming age of story, and rightfully so. We accompany Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Harmon right from her messy childhood, orphaned, bullied, and sorely out of place to the top of the sport, her innate talent acting as a buoy. Beyond the intense chess matches and rapid spew of notation, we see Beth grow, trying to experience life as a regular child would. She’s forced to adult quickly, dealing with brusque administration during her years at the orphanage or the determining presence of a parental figure – she does have a great relationship with her foster mother Alma, who does however treat her like an adult. Tevis does a great job with the supporting cast and holds on to them, fleshing them out well enough for one to give a damn about the setting and the situations Beth is a part of, despite the intensity of her personal POV. The series toes the book and its plot to the line and despite knowing how things would pan out, the steady buildup and the clarity of Tevis’ writing ensure you’re always engaged.
The Read: As someone who’s been following chess for a while now and increasingly so after the lockdown (some thoughts about the same here), sometimes the notation played too big a role for someone unaware of it to ignore (Beth, like top chess players could play multiple boards blindfolded, simply visualizing them). It would be great to have accompanying chessboard situations as a complement to the text for people who are interested. Nevertheless, it is a gripping read from start to finish and you want to root for the underdog, waging a lone battle, breaking several glass ceilings and talent buckets along the way. Written tightly with a great amount of detail provided in terms of chess terminology and geographies (ranging from Kentucky to Houston and Paris and Moscow), you should pick this up, regardless of having watched Anya Taylor Joy demolish chess players and gender discrimination effortlessly on screen. Pawn to d4, let’s play, shall we?
4/365.
Trivia: One of the prominent players mentioned is Paul Morphy, one of chess’s early geniuses renowned for his blindfold prowess and near eidetic memory. Morphy turned extremely paranoid, becoming an outcast of sorts in a massive decline from his glory days. He also had a major run-in with Howard Staunton, another remarkable player also famous for having standardized the shapes of the pieces as we know them today. You can read more about Morphy and his run-in with Staunton here.
Documentation
Book: The Queen’s Gambit
Author: Walter Tevis
Year of Release: 1983, 2003
Publisher: Random House