After Beth creams Benny and his friends in multiple rounds of speed chess, Benny’s discipline is no match for the allure of her genius.īeth’s predilections are not exclusive to men, either. Playing hard to get, he assures her there will be no sex during their chess training. Similarly with Benny, it’s her brushing of his hair that lets him know she’s interested. “I’m ready now.” Closing her eyes, waiting for Harry to take initiative, she adds firmly: “Now or never.” After being curious about sex for awhile, Beth takes her fate into her own hands. When Harry first kisses her, she’s taken aback by his abrupt advance. Throughout the series, Beth blows through lovers as breezily as opponents, always seemingly in charge, though the audience can see her internal doubts.
Created by veteran Hollywood screenwriters Scott Frank (“Minority Report,” “Get Shorty”) and Allan Scott (“The Preacher’s Wife”), the series is an unusual example of men writing an autonomous woman character who is fully empowered to enjoy sex. Visually sumptuous and darkly compelling, the story of “The Queen’s Gambit” belongs entirely to Beth, an orphan chess prodigy using booze and pills to outrun her childhood trauma. (Beth: “Was it that many?”) When she finally beds him after a preemptive rejection, flipping the script on typical gender roles, she announces breathlessly: “So that’s what it’s supposed to feel like.” No time for a cigarette. After early losses to Benny in an important tournament and multiple rounds of speed chess, Beth finally exacts her revenge, finishing him in 30 moves to claim the national championship. She’s much better matched with someone like Benny Watts (Thomas Brodie-Sangster, AKA the “Love, Actually” kid all grown up), whose knife-toting swagger makes him just as much of an anomaly in the chess world as Beth’s sex makes her. 'Halftime' Trailer: Jennifer Lopez Relives 'Hustlers' Oscars Heartbreak and Battle to Be 'Taken Seriously'ġ9 Best Erotic Thrillers, from Adrian Lyne to Brian De Palma 'Bridgerton' Star Charithra Chandran Opens Up About 'Daily Struggle' of Colorism Poor Harry Beltik (Harry Melling) never stood a chance against wunderkind Beth Harmon, in the tournament or the bedroom. It’s the 1960s equivalent of sitting down at your desk after a one-night stand, firing up the laptop and diving into work emails, and it’s absolutely brutal.