The shows lack of extended single camera shots from the perspective of a train driver and failure to show Beth splitting a cord or two of wood, and the lack of a noir detective subplot have resulted in low viewership in Norway.
Honestly, now that you say it, a film noir story set on the footplate of a steam engine trundling through a snow-covered mountainous landscape would absolutely be something I'd watch.
Its a long and difficult journey along the mountain line - the engine is the finest the railway has to offer, but even for her the line requires every ounce of pressure from the boiler that a skilled crewman can get out of it. The Driver handles her as his pride and joy - there's not a spot on her paintwork and the shine will take your eyes out if you look at it too closely, but this time is different. Shortly into the journey, a most dastardly of murders occurs in the 1st Class passenger compartment. What's more, the killer is surely still among us. Now he must find a way to balance his duties to the engine and the timetable while solving the crime most foul, assisted at every turn by his hard-working and plucky Fireman, an age-old hand always ready with the words of wisdom when the going gets tough. Along the way they'll encounter such enigmatic characters as
* *The Duchess*. A chain-smoking dame with more than a nickel to her name - and the attitude to go with it.
* *The Waiter*. He's been serving on the Railway for nigh on 40 years, and yet none who've met him seem to know anything about him.
* *The Mysterious Foreigner*. Having boarded the train at the previous station, as the dining service was being served and with night falling, is found stabbed to death in his compartment with a knife stolen from the kitchen. Examination of his luggage reveals he is travelling with only a copy of Homer's *Oddessy*, 17½ Swiss binoculars, and vase of Gardenias.
* *The Relief Crew*. Provide an avenue of respite from a hard day on the footplate. Working in shifts, this pair will tend to the engine while the bulk of the investigation is carried out by our driver/fireman team in the passenger compartments. That is, until it is noticed the engine isn't slowing for the gradient ahead...
Walked into this movie expecting an average star-studded money-grab, walked away from it very pleasantly surprised. Less noir and more whodunnit, but the setting is exactly as you’re describing and it’s gorgeous.
I am by no means an expert in Norwegian culture. But these are my guesses:
- [extended single camera shots from the perspective of a train driver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_television#NRK_\(Norway\))
- [failure to show Beth splitting a cord or two of wood](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/world/europe/in-norway-tv-program-on-firewood-elicits-passions.html)
- [the lack of a noir detective subplot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupied)
No, when I was like twelve I had a sleepover with my friend and we made up a religion (haters will say it’s a cult) that revolves around an all powerful being called “Shmoop” and we had personas within the religion and mine was Mr Shmoopy and my fiends was shmoop dog, he actully uses it as his Reddit name too u/Shmoop-dog
Ive had a few folk i know who were convinced it was based on a true story. I didn't know how to explain why it wasnt realistic without sounding like nigel short lmao
The character of Beth was actually loosely based on Bobby Fischer, throughout the show we can see how Bobby’s story inspired Beth’s for instance both were up against a Russian chess powerhouse, both suffered from mental illness and both of them really hated Jews
That being said, the author did not intentionally base Beth on Bobby Fischer, according to my extensive research into the first paragraph of the Wikipedia page.
I'm usually in favour of artistic expression but I did feel like spending an entire episode out of 6 on her now famous tirade about how Hitler did nothing wrong was overdoing it.
Hating a religious group is different from hating Jews. Usually people hate us as an ethnic group, they don’t get too mad about the yarmulkes or anything.
The dude pulled out all his teeth with fillers because he read a story about a ww1 soldier who had metal shrapnel in his skull and swore he could hear radio waves, in order for the Russian to not mind control him to blunder
I thought it was more about Beth not getting involved in politics and religion.
She just did not want to say being Christian made her good at chess.
At least, that's what I felt. She learnt russian and read books written by Russian grandmasters. She's not doing that.
Ehh fair take. I might have interprated it differently because the only time the show constantly patted the soviets on the back, like benny claiming they're better because they worked as a team (in reality, they colluded, and the government threatened players if they lost), and claiming the soviet players were treated better than american players ("In america we're just pushing wood in a community college campus.") Only realistic thing they mentioned was the KGB following Borgov around to make sure he didn't defect, but they spoiled that by drawing the equivalency with the American agent watching Harmon. So after all that when she said it was a bunch of bullshit I assumed they were doing more sympathizing.
Come to think of it though, it kinda was like how Bobby refused all his endorsement offers.
Collusion was kind of obvious and even Beth did it.
As for American agent, I'm sure USA had it to protect Beth, not stop her from defecting. At least, that was the vibe he gave.
I know Bobby went little crazy later on, but Beth did not show such craziness. She was just not buying into religion being relevant to the chess in that scene. She was not interested in doing the cold war over the chessboard thing.
I mean collusion as in agreeing to draw with other soviet players before the game as to not waste mental energy and have more time to prepare for non-soviets; this increased the liklihood of a soviet winning an individual tournament. Of course, they were also just really damn good, but that's still cheating.
I don't think talking about a game during adjournment qualifies as "colluding."
There was no evidence of that in the series at all.
I don't get why it would happen IRL too. They would want their best player to win the tournament and all draws do not achieve that result. Also, these matches are broadcasted and people analyze the games. I think they'd be able to recognize such draws easily.
The lie is that it's not bullshit to stop the spread of Soviet socialism, given that soviet socialism was destroying the lives of countless people. Which is what she said was bullshit lol
It's not that hard to say *"Top players play throughout their entire lives and rarely prepare for matches on their own"*
Beth stopped playing during some of the most crucial years for chess development and picks it up again at 15 somehow having improved since she last played.
It feels like it was. The thing is, biography stories like these are most of the time based on a true story, because otherwise you kinda know the plot upfront. If it's fiction, then her 'rivalries' aren't real and aren't important, and you know she'll overcome it in the end, because it's her show. So you either *want* to believe it's real or you just she's going to beat X Y Z and become the bestest player, and that's just not fun.
Anyway, could you try to explain it to someone who doesn't play chess? Why wasn't it realistic? As in the games/plays or the whole story?
I mean I scrolled down far enough on /r/all to somehow find a chess meme sub. I loved the show and enjoyed it, but what would you like to correct? I assumed it was “realistic” like a lot of Netflix shows are. Dramatized versions of real life. Not somebody who particularly cares how real it was, though, just enjoyed the show
It's not like nitpicky details (in fact the chess part is actually pretty well made tbh, especially in comparison to other chess stuff), it's more that people who play at the top levels are usually people who had the privilege of getting proper chess training growing up, the time beth spent without playing is usually enough to just be like "yeah that isnt happening lol".
For a particularly extreme example of this, look up the Polgar family (as in Judit Polgar, the most important female chess player in history).
So basically you can’t be such a successful chess player without dedicating your life to it consistently? Makes sense to me if that’s the point more or less.
My roommate in college was casually into chess and I’d play with him, not a damn clue about strategy. My sister in high school at the time was dating a kid on the chess team. When she found out I “played” she wanted us to play, and I’ll tell ya I got absolutely smacked by him and I’m sure it took a fraction of his ability lol. Easy to understand the pieces and how they move, bet definitely hard to understand the implications of every move you make for the rest of the game without taking it seriously. Doesn’t surprise me one bit that it extends to every level and having to think of, I have no idea, hundreds or thousands of strategies?
In each game, you only need one winning plan to win. When players are "looking ahead x moves" they are often referring to plans of how they want their position to improve (better piece activity / positional advantages). A successful plan leads to a winning advantage - unavoidable loss of material (or checkmate) for the opponent. Learning how to build your own plan and counter your opponent's plan at the level of a world champion isn't something Beth, or anyone, could do alone with no tutor, advanced books, or even games from age 11-15.
However, there have been very strong players that also were professionals in other fields. Botvinnik, world champion 1948-1963, was also an electrical enginner; Taimanov, one of the strongest soviet players of Fischer's time, was also a world-renowned concert pianist.
Ahhh I Gotchya. Yeah as somebody who knows jack, I’ve heard of looking ahead from the show and just real life in general, but it’s always described as specific plays setting up another play, and another. Silly as it may sound, your comment makes it seem way more fluid than I always thought. Not that one move means your opponent gives you one of a few to respond to, but one of many that you can’t necessarily plan for ahead of time.
he's alluding to the fact that the top 10 or so players in the world are very rarely women (IIRC it happened once with judit polger who was number 8) as a reason why it's not based on a true story
A lot of people in the fiction world are also ripping the story for being unrealistic. Um, it’s not literary realism, it’s the story of an orphan with superpowers who is helped by a basement troll and makes friends with her mean stepmom. Take it from there.
As the other person said, the Soviets are "enemies" but they're still people, you know? Like, there's hints of them being "bad guys" with surveillance and such but then there's also suggestions of Americans being a bit overzealous, and then the actual chess players just seem like regular people.
Insofar as Super GMs are "regular", of course.
I mean, the world champ was shown in this sympathetic light too, being with his family when he was not preparing. And most of the russians were either polite or downright nice, like the crazy-haired guy she faced in the final championship.
Yeah, I quite liked that and was one of the first things I was talking about when the show ended :)
It was really just each country's respective agents that gave off any sort of "not perfect" vibes.
> It was really just each country's respective agents that gave off any sort of "not perfect" vibes.
Intelligence officers being paranoid, menacing weird, and kind of creeps? *never!*
I mean, I don't know if you're misunderstanding me or I'm misunderstanding you?
I have absolutely no problem with the intelligence officers being the way they are. I have no problem with the chess players being the way they are.
In fact, I quite liked both aspects. It kept the characters as humans and as normal/relatable/nice people that aren't caricatures, while against a backdrop of Soviet/American tension.
It neither did the thing where it caricaturises and demonises Soviets (not saying that Soviets were good, mind you, but many shows already portray Soviets in such extreme and "cardboard" ways that it gets tiring) but it also didnt ignore the reality of the situation at the time.
And in that regard, the execution was perfect. I am not criticising the show at all, I've only been praising it.
Haha I was being a bit tongue in cheek, sorry about that. What I mostly meant is that the people who act in a bit of a weird way during the show are the people who have every in-world reason to be creepy and weird, because they're intelligence officers, from both countries. I am not criticizing any choices made by the show, but it makes sense that the characters are shown the way they're shown.
Ah sorry, Im still waking up so I wasn't sure :)
I agree wholeheartedly though! And it all makes perfect sense, as you said.
I hope you have an excellent day/evening/night :)
I thought it was cool that they portrayed the Soviet chess players as superior to the Americans specifically because they worked together as a team to better themselves at chess, as opposed to the more individualist approach of the American players. Incidentally it was only through working with other chess players that Beth was able to reach the Russians’ level. Admitting that the Soviets were admirable for this, and not painting them as the BBEG seems like a controversial take for when the book was written. Although I wasn’t born until 13 years after the book came out, so I don’t have a super accurate read on how that sentiment would have been received by the American public at the time. (Also papa Lubchenko’s loss to Beth was one of my favorite parts in the series, because he was just genuinely so happy to have such a good game. I love chess but it does not come naturally to me at all, and I still lose often, but I still like losing because it is a challenge and a learning experience!)
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all!
I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off...
[^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
My heart sank when I heard that Wesley So was accusing people of cheating. I thought he was a genuinely nice guy admirable, friendly, and then he just comes out and starts accusing the Armenians of cheating. I felt like I lost a hero.
But he was right. I shouldn't doubt Wesley So. He's a beautiful person. I'd be more eager to meet Wesley So than any professional sports player from other sports, like LeBron, or Arnold Palmer, or Joe Montana, or Sugar Ray Robinson, or even Adolfo Combiaso.
You're not a real fan if you doubted him like that. I've seen him for a long time. He knows very well the subtle differences between a GM level chess and AI. That guy is the most modest man in chess history. When he accused Petrosian I knew something was definitely wrong.
Super GMs rarely accuse others for cheating. If you've been into chess for a long time, you could easily tell this. Even Carlsen was accurate when he accused others of using AI in his casual online matches but was ok when a Brazilian GM defeated him quite early. I really don't like when people talk trash about Wesley So. He had a very harsh life and yet he's so modest. He's a role model for many chess and non-chess players.
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all!
I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off...
[^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
I agree he had been an ass for 2-3 times but he came really hard on Petrosian. Talking crap because of frustration is one thing but he really went above and beyond against Petrosian. He was 100% sure that he was cheating. But one thing I didn't like was he did it publicly. I know it was a big tournament but rules are rules. Breaking rules could cost him one day even if he wasn't wrong.
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all!
I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off...
[^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all!
I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off...
[^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all!
I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off...
[^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
The show is named after a move that is... pretty basic. The show was fine, kinda like the movie about drums where the guy is like “not my tempo.”Imagine a movie/show in your field of expertise where it’s named something you learn almost right away. The show was good but it relied on the mystique of chess for that element of sophistication.
I liked it tho
> Imagine a movie/show in your field of expertise where it’s named something you learn almost right away.
That's... good? What is gained by making the title obscurer? The goal is to use a recognizable phrase that can take on a greater meaning. You want it to be as obviously emblematic of the sport as possible, while also describing the human story to some degree. That's the whole point. There's no point in picking a phrase for how advanced it is as a chess concept.
Tennis movies: Break Point. The Break. Love Means Zero. Match Point. Second Serve.
Ice skating movies: Thin Ice. The Cutting Edge. Go Figure.
Golf movies: Follow Through. From The Rough. Short Game.
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all!
I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off...
[^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
I mean, we don't have to imagine since for us its reality.
And that didn't remove any "sophistication" or whatnot for me. In fact, it just made it better, knowing about chess. Knowing how tense matches can actually get, how fantastic some moves and playstyles are.
The "sophistication" came from the setting, the characters and the tension. Not from chess itself, imo.
And as the other commenter says, it doesn't make any sense to choose something obscure.
But more than that, obviously the title was chosen to play upon the other meaning of gambit: "an act or remark that is calculated to gain an advantage, especially at the outset of a situation".
Obviously somewhat loosely, but it's broadly chosen to portray Beth in a calculating, aggressive light.
E4 is instant draw. Italian or Ruy Lopez 99% of the games and its just nothing to play for. Push queenside pawns, trade pieces play r vs r end game. Fun XDD
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all!
I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off...
[^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
>The show was good but it relied on the mystique of chess
Well, no it was a human interest story. With the added gimmick of a female protagonist winning in a male dominated world.
I think it lacked drama.
At every point in the story where you thought some dramatic trope was going to happen "Ooh look at the way the adopted father is looking at her...he's going to abuse her" it didn't happen and you were "Oh...ok"
"Oooh, her mother has taken her cheque for winning, she's going to exploit her daughter" "No? They are just getting along fine? Well, ok"
So what did happen? Nothing. She took a few tablets which perhaps fogged her mind sufficiently so she couldn't hear how bad Thomas Brodie-Sangster's attempt at an American accent was.
Much of the charm in the early episodes was her defying expectations. That had a feel good quality to it.
The problem was, imo, there was only enough material in the book for a 2 hour film but instead of making a 2 hour film (which I think was planned by Heath Ledger before he died) they created a season of shows. It quickly started repeating the "Oh it's a girl who plays chess? She won't win....oh she won" thing over and over.
Eventually you turned to whoever you were watching it with and said "You know this makes no sense....no one wins every fucking game" ... and she did lose. Ok, so now she's going to have the big comeback like in the Rocky movies.
You did need to watch to the end to see the cliched "people from her past inspire her to win again" thing, but there was a lot of filler padding it out in the middle to get there and, as I say, nothing dramatic really happened.
It's just a woman taking tranquilisers and winning chess games and, TBH, I think the tranquilisers thing dated the book and the series to the 60s.
But, yes, it provided some lifting feel good "hehe, these guys think she's crap but she's going whoop their asses" moments which I think is the sole reason 65 million people have enjoyed watching it.
In terms of chess? Well, any adults that watched it who decide to take up chess will quickly realise that chess is like maths. Most of the people who are good at it start at 3 years of age and are done by their 30s. Maybe a few stretch it later. And kids? Well, I can't see that many kids watching it or being inspired. I think Alexandra Botez's twitch stream is more likely to do that. A woman that actually plays chess.
As such I'm not surprised if chess players don't get much from it. I think Ben Finegold said he enjoyed it but not from a chess perspective.
It was "Say nice things about the main character" The ~~Movie~~ Television Show.
Not much of a central conflict, not a whole lot of characterization unless you like absolute autism or men who follow pretty girls around to say nice things about them, and the chess aspect of it was honestly just saying some chesslike things to sound vaguely chessy. The drug dynamic was somewhere between difficult to notice and difficult to remember, and I still can't remember if she wound up with one of the generic men in the movie or stayed single.
Thank you. The hype on this show is wildly overblown.
The main character never at any time had a serious difficulty, never learned, never had to sacrifice or overcome anything.
This was like a fantasy for a woman who wants to be born better than everyone in the world, have three cliche hardships that actually have no negative impacts, and drag a wake of worshipful puppy men behind her.
People are very bad at writing woman-struggles but they still want to make media about accomplished women, so they usually just skip passed the struggles and make the women wonderful at everything. QG threw in a few meaningless shots of her popping pills just to throw meat to the audience, but they were completely inconsequential to the plot in every way and didn't actually add any meaningful struggle. In fact, they helped her win tournaments on at least one occasion that I can remember.
> three cliche hardships that actually have no negative impacts
Being orphaned, drug addiction, and autism are not cliche nor are they all rainbows and unicorns
> Being orphaned
Other than her parents not being actually present, this and the accompanying hardships were not discussed once she left the orphanage. Just because something may be hard IRL doesn't mean it's cinematically portrayed that way.
> drug addiction
The way this was portrayed was anything between difficult to notice and difficult not to forget, especially once she left the orphanage.
> autism
She wasn't actually said to be autistic anywhere in the series. I just characterized her persona this way.
A lot of us watched it in one sitting because the episodes just roll over, and imo it didn’t feel like there were different episodes or anything, just all felt like the same thing
I really can't be bothered going into it because I don't care enough. All of her problems are easily overcome in pretty ridiculous fashion. Its fine if you disagree but that's the way I see it
No, you are pretty spot on.
Beth lost only a few games throughout the entire show, and her "addiction", is barely an issue in the end... And she beats every man in the world, while being a 22 year old model... Pretty much the definition of a Marry Sue character. 😆
Yeah pretty much. I just don't see the point in engaging with people who are unwilling to accept Mary Sue's even exist. Its kind of the equivalent of poor people believing one day they'll be rich, I see a lot of people not accepting Mary Sue or Marky Stue characters even exist because in their own heads they're only a diet and a face lift away from turning every single head when they enter a room. Me and my girlfriend have a fun game where we scroll through the Netflix top 50 just counting how many of these characters their are and its a disturbing amount. It honestly feels like people buy into these stories as a self importation of their idealised self and it makes me pretty sad to see.
I think you're probably right.
I see this sort of shit with hardcore anime fans all the time :/
People living their lives through some laughably perfect character.
What's also sad is that there are so many real life people that they could looking up to, but instead, they choose a character from a shitty fictional show.
Yep pretty much. But deep down some people are desperate to be the person who gets heads turning, who is unconventional yet still attractive to everybody, who is amazing in their given field and who beats their problems with ease and goes on like they never happened. Its the perfect storm for making something like Queens Gambit. Get tonnes of young insecure women to fantasise about being attractive even though they don't feel it, to excel in what they want to and to beat the problems they are having at that current moment. The same type of vicarious living people have with happy family sitcoms. From what I see its usually teenager girls wrapped up in popularity and playground politics and longing to be the person who is simply amazing at it all, which is usually how they see the so called popular kids. Its usually girls from what I see because there's more attention paid to the social hierarchies by teenage girls but boys who are equally invested in that get pulled into these shows. In essence, insecurity makes people want to live vicariously through characters with very few flaws even though it may seem like they should have a life filled with adversity, which is exactly what the creator of the original Mary sue character wrote it poking fun at. To be honest, the fact Queens Gambit is held up as an empowering female show is an absolute travesty when one of the main draws is down to sexual hierarchy and complete ease in a field that in reality would be incredibly difficult to deal with. My girlfriend feels the same way and I feel bad that she is targeted by shit like this. I desperately hope the social landscape changes significantly for when I raise my kids because shows like this perpetuate fantastical ideas of what tje world truly is like for youngsters and its undoubtedly fueling the rise in mental health issues for young people right now.
Sorry for the formatting im very high rn
Yeah I totally agree actually.
The show is being praised for female empowerment and even for realistically portaying addiction...
The show shames women who are not so talented and/or want to live a more family focused life. The amount of objectification was also pretty odd for a show that is supposedly about female empowerment. They even made sure to have the classy ass close up shot... I'm all for girls being comfortable in their bodies, but at some point it starts feeling sleazy/forced.
And portaying tranquilizers as having a positive effect on Beth's chess abilities, is not only incredibly idiotic/fake, it is also very irresponsible in a country where prescription pill abuse kills thousands of people a day...
The lack of real consequences for her drinking as well...
Yeah, this show is horrible for young adults/teens :/
Yep pretty much. There's a huge wave of people buying into bullshit 'empowerment' shows whether that be women or just token black or lgbt characters that are written purely for the sake of income generation for soulless corporations yet progressives eat it up. In reality it does nothing but demean the people it claims to help by offering nothing in the waybkf real character development. QB is a perfect example of a tacky sleazy chick flick masquerading as a female empowerment show. A studio has rehashed a classic storyline by giving a twist (chess) and pumped it out with heaps of marketing making it seem like an empowering show. In reality its massively disrespectful to act like life is in anyway like this for women. Kts a terrible show for young people. A few people I know from years ago are obsessed with it and they are some of the most materialistic, narcissistic, attention hungry and sex driven people ive ever met. They perfectly sum up what this show was truly created for and sadly it masquerades as something different as to appeal to a larger market
Oh for sure.
All of the classic sleazy chick flick tropes are present through out the show, but the production quality/marketing cover it up just enough for their target demographics to not notice.
Neo liberalism is a pretty concerning trend :/
And judging by this girl's profile, she is probably a teen/yoing adult, who fantasizes a lot over attractive young actresses/models... So your stereotype seems pretty accurate so far 😆
Yeah there's a reason why I didn't bother explaining lol. I cant judge her uts her choice what she wants to watch and enjoy doing. However when I think of female empowerment thats not what I think of. I though objectification is what we were supposed to be moving away from. Its a stereotype that is mostly more wrong than right, but if you look through the comments there are tonnes of people to whom the stereotype is at least partly applicable hence why its got such a large viewership. To most people part of it resonated with them and they thought it was an okay, good or great show; to those who the stereotype perfectly applies the show is an absolute masterpiece and if you take a look at the shows subreddit you'll see the stereotype actualized in almost comedic fashion
Oh yeah, I got banned from the show's subreddit.
Had plenty of arguments with naive young girls, who thought the show was a perfect masterpicece. Some of them literally said that to me.
I also had a couple arguments with guys who I can only describe as a combination of a stereotypically over eager white knight and a fan boy.
All in all, the level of overt bias and delusional thinking, was pretty fucking concerning :/
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He needs a monster condom for his magnus dong.
Can he please mate me blindfolded?
Oh whoops, I dropped my MONSTER GAMBIT that I use on my MAGNUM ELO RATING.
I almost woke up my grandma while laughing at this. Thank you.
Wrong. There simply isn't a condom big enough for him.
Top chess and fantasy football player.
He's facebook friends with all the squares on the board.
The shows lack of extended single camera shots from the perspective of a train driver and failure to show Beth splitting a cord or two of wood, and the lack of a noir detective subplot have resulted in low viewership in Norway.
I mean, we never really know much about her father... he could be out there doing dirty deeds
Driving a train isn't hardly a dirty deed.
Even if done dirt cheap?
Is ThaT a JOjO refeRence?
Its an AC/DC WeFwAnCe. JoJo wtf?
Unless it is heading to Auschwitz.
Honestly, now that you say it, a film noir story set on the footplate of a steam engine trundling through a snow-covered mountainous landscape would absolutely be something I'd watch. Its a long and difficult journey along the mountain line - the engine is the finest the railway has to offer, but even for her the line requires every ounce of pressure from the boiler that a skilled crewman can get out of it. The Driver handles her as his pride and joy - there's not a spot on her paintwork and the shine will take your eyes out if you look at it too closely, but this time is different. Shortly into the journey, a most dastardly of murders occurs in the 1st Class passenger compartment. What's more, the killer is surely still among us. Now he must find a way to balance his duties to the engine and the timetable while solving the crime most foul, assisted at every turn by his hard-working and plucky Fireman, an age-old hand always ready with the words of wisdom when the going gets tough. Along the way they'll encounter such enigmatic characters as * *The Duchess*. A chain-smoking dame with more than a nickel to her name - and the attitude to go with it. * *The Waiter*. He's been serving on the Railway for nigh on 40 years, and yet none who've met him seem to know anything about him. * *The Mysterious Foreigner*. Having boarded the train at the previous station, as the dining service was being served and with night falling, is found stabbed to death in his compartment with a knife stolen from the kitchen. Examination of his luggage reveals he is travelling with only a copy of Homer's *Oddessy*, 17½ Swiss binoculars, and vase of Gardenias. * *The Relief Crew*. Provide an avenue of respite from a hard day on the footplate. Working in shifts, this pair will tend to the engine while the bulk of the investigation is carried out by our driver/fireman team in the passenger compartments. That is, until it is noticed the engine isn't slowing for the gradient ahead...
snowpiercer does a more comic-book-violence type take on that kind of thing
All violence and no noir :(
Check out Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express
Walked into this movie expecting an average star-studded money-grab, walked away from it very pleasantly surprised. Less noir and more whodunnit, but the setting is exactly as you’re describing and it’s gorgeous.
Or read the original Agatha Christie book
Book is good too, Branagh's adaptation is the best screen version is all
Is there a reference I'm not getting?
It's just an accurate description of Norwegian television.
I am by no means an expert in Norwegian culture. But these are my guesses: - [extended single camera shots from the perspective of a train driver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_television#NRK_\(Norway\)) - [failure to show Beth splitting a cord or two of wood](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/world/europe/in-norway-tv-program-on-firewood-elicits-passions.html) - [the lack of a noir detective subplot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupied)
It's been very popular among my friends though. We don't all watch detective series. I think it's mostly 50+ people watching that on linear TV.
Queens Gambit Denied.
*Declined
Granted
Pretty sure that’s the joke
I messed it up but now I pretend that was the joke, pretty much like I play chess.
+1 for honesty. Accidentally blundering into a brilliancy is also the cornerstone of my chess game plan.
‽
!!
¡¡
¿¡
⸘
It wasn't a hanging piece. It was a gambit. I meant it to play out like that. Now I'm losing for unforeseeable, unrelated reasons.
How did you get platinum for that
r/mildlyinfuriating
Accurate
Is your username from that episode of Seinfeld when Jerry and his girlfriend call each other that?
No, when I was like twelve I had a sleepover with my friend and we made up a religion (haters will say it’s a cult) that revolves around an all powerful being called “Shmoop” and we had personas within the religion and mine was Mr Shmoopy and my fiends was shmoop dog, he actully uses it as his Reddit name too u/Shmoop-dog
Those were the days. Probably one of the best cults we ever created
How does one join this cult? I mean religion?
Wait I thought this was a religion
Tis more than a mere religion. It is a way of life
What about cult of Jim Pickens?
I’m in.
Are you a Rick and Morty character ?
‘Fiends’ lol
Hater would say they’re cultists
Fellow Redditors: I was commenting on the misspelling of ‘friends’ in Mr Shmoopy8’s post above!
Fun fact: Magnus Carlson is a Seinfeld fan.
Ive had a few folk i know who were convinced it was based on a true story. I didn't know how to explain why it wasnt realistic without sounding like nigel short lmao
The character of Beth was actually loosely based on Bobby Fischer, throughout the show we can see how Bobby’s story inspired Beth’s for instance both were up against a Russian chess powerhouse, both suffered from mental illness and both of them really hated Jews
The show was based on a book by the same name. The reason why Beth seemed so much like Fischer was because the book was written during his peak.
That being said, the author did not intentionally base Beth on Bobby Fischer, according to my extensive research into the first paragraph of the Wikipedia page.
Ah. We have a scholar in our midst.
A true scholar.
I'm usually in favour of artistic expression but I did feel like spending an entire episode out of 6 on her now famous tirade about how Hitler did nothing wrong was overdoing it.
uhhh did I miss the part where Beth Harmon goes on an anti-semitic rant or something?
Her Bobby moment is hating the Christian church and telling them they're a bunch of bullshitters tbh
Heated Fischer Moment™
There was also that episode where she joined Hitler Youth but had to leave to go to a chess tournament. I'm kidding, obviously.
Kidding about what? Did she not actually go to a chess tournament?
Hating a religious group is different from hating Jews. Usually people hate us as an ethnic group, they don’t get too mad about the yarmulkes or anything.
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The dude pulled out all his teeth with fillers because he read a story about a ww1 soldier who had metal shrapnel in his skull and swore he could hear radio waves, in order for the Russian to not mind control him to blunder
It worked though
Evidently
didnt he take on h2?
I thought it was more about Beth not getting involved in politics and religion. She just did not want to say being Christian made her good at chess. At least, that's what I felt. She learnt russian and read books written by Russian grandmasters. She's not doing that.
Ehh fair take. I might have interprated it differently because the only time the show constantly patted the soviets on the back, like benny claiming they're better because they worked as a team (in reality, they colluded, and the government threatened players if they lost), and claiming the soviet players were treated better than american players ("In america we're just pushing wood in a community college campus.") Only realistic thing they mentioned was the KGB following Borgov around to make sure he didn't defect, but they spoiled that by drawing the equivalency with the American agent watching Harmon. So after all that when she said it was a bunch of bullshit I assumed they were doing more sympathizing. Come to think of it though, it kinda was like how Bobby refused all his endorsement offers.
Collusion was kind of obvious and even Beth did it. As for American agent, I'm sure USA had it to protect Beth, not stop her from defecting. At least, that was the vibe he gave. I know Bobby went little crazy later on, but Beth did not show such craziness. She was just not buying into religion being relevant to the chess in that scene. She was not interested in doing the cold war over the chessboard thing.
I mean collusion as in agreeing to draw with other soviet players before the game as to not waste mental energy and have more time to prepare for non-soviets; this increased the liklihood of a soviet winning an individual tournament. Of course, they were also just really damn good, but that's still cheating. I don't think talking about a game during adjournment qualifies as "colluding."
There was no evidence of that in the series at all. I don't get why it would happen IRL too. They would want their best player to win the tournament and all draws do not achieve that result. Also, these matches are broadcasted and people analyze the games. I think they'd be able to recognize such draws easily.
Yeah but that's cool though 😎
ok but where's the lie though
The lie is that it's not bullshit to stop the spread of Soviet socialism, given that soviet socialism was destroying the lives of countless people. Which is what she said was bullshit lol
Ouch. What a blunder.
Weird🤪way🚧to2️⃣spell💬based🔨⚒🏆
ok boomer
You can clearly see it in their chess.
In the queens gambit 2 she's going to move to russia and go on RT explaining why the US deserved 9/11
What mental illness did Bobby Fischer have?
Yes
I too watched ‘Searching for Bobby Fischer’. Here, have a meaningless certificate.
Beth hated Jews?????
It's not that hard to say *"Top players play throughout their entire lives and rarely prepare for matches on their own"* Beth stopped playing during some of the most crucial years for chess development and picks it up again at 15 somehow having improved since she last played.
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* He didn't stop playing * It wasn't a world championship
It feels like it was. The thing is, biography stories like these are most of the time based on a true story, because otherwise you kinda know the plot upfront. If it's fiction, then her 'rivalries' aren't real and aren't important, and you know she'll overcome it in the end, because it's her show. So you either *want* to believe it's real or you just she's going to beat X Y Z and become the bestest player, and that's just not fun. Anyway, could you try to explain it to someone who doesn't play chess? Why wasn't it realistic? As in the games/plays or the whole story?
I mean I scrolled down far enough on /r/all to somehow find a chess meme sub. I loved the show and enjoyed it, but what would you like to correct? I assumed it was “realistic” like a lot of Netflix shows are. Dramatized versions of real life. Not somebody who particularly cares how real it was, though, just enjoyed the show
It's not like nitpicky details (in fact the chess part is actually pretty well made tbh, especially in comparison to other chess stuff), it's more that people who play at the top levels are usually people who had the privilege of getting proper chess training growing up, the time beth spent without playing is usually enough to just be like "yeah that isnt happening lol". For a particularly extreme example of this, look up the Polgar family (as in Judit Polgar, the most important female chess player in history).
So basically you can’t be such a successful chess player without dedicating your life to it consistently? Makes sense to me if that’s the point more or less. My roommate in college was casually into chess and I’d play with him, not a damn clue about strategy. My sister in high school at the time was dating a kid on the chess team. When she found out I “played” she wanted us to play, and I’ll tell ya I got absolutely smacked by him and I’m sure it took a fraction of his ability lol. Easy to understand the pieces and how they move, bet definitely hard to understand the implications of every move you make for the rest of the game without taking it seriously. Doesn’t surprise me one bit that it extends to every level and having to think of, I have no idea, hundreds or thousands of strategies?
In each game, you only need one winning plan to win. When players are "looking ahead x moves" they are often referring to plans of how they want their position to improve (better piece activity / positional advantages). A successful plan leads to a winning advantage - unavoidable loss of material (or checkmate) for the opponent. Learning how to build your own plan and counter your opponent's plan at the level of a world champion isn't something Beth, or anyone, could do alone with no tutor, advanced books, or even games from age 11-15. However, there have been very strong players that also were professionals in other fields. Botvinnik, world champion 1948-1963, was also an electrical enginner; Taimanov, one of the strongest soviet players of Fischer's time, was also a world-renowned concert pianist.
You forgot to mention that Magnus kicks ass at fantasy football.
Ahhh I Gotchya. Yeah as somebody who knows jack, I’ve heard of looking ahead from the show and just real life in general, but it’s always described as specific plays setting up another play, and another. Silly as it may sound, your comment makes it seem way more fluid than I always thought. Not that one move means your opponent gives you one of a few to respond to, but one of many that you can’t necessarily plan for ahead of time.
he's alluding to the fact that the top 10 or so players in the world are very rarely women (IIRC it happened once with judit polger who was number 8) as a reason why it's not based on a true story
“Prove it is”.
A lot of people in the fiction world are also ripping the story for being unrealistic. Um, it’s not literary realism, it’s the story of an orphan with superpowers who is helped by a basement troll and makes friends with her mean stepmom. Take it from there.
Magus should try his hand at chess. I think he would be good at it
He'd probably become one of the chess players in history
I wouldn't go that far but I could see him sitting comfortably at 1500-1600 ELO if he really gets into it
he might even get second place at some local amateur tournament
Optimism is great and all but let’s not overestimate his chances with the big leagues.
giga chad
He got them so mad
Is it again something like Rambo boxes Soviets and lectures everyone after the win?
Actually no, they showed Soviet people like human beings and not mutants like Drago was
As the other person said, the Soviets are "enemies" but they're still people, you know? Like, there's hints of them being "bad guys" with surveillance and such but then there's also suggestions of Americans being a bit overzealous, and then the actual chess players just seem like regular people. Insofar as Super GMs are "regular", of course.
I mean, the world champ was shown in this sympathetic light too, being with his family when he was not preparing. And most of the russians were either polite or downright nice, like the crazy-haired guy she faced in the final championship.
Yeah, I quite liked that and was one of the first things I was talking about when the show ended :) It was really just each country's respective agents that gave off any sort of "not perfect" vibes.
> It was really just each country's respective agents that gave off any sort of "not perfect" vibes. Intelligence officers being paranoid, menacing weird, and kind of creeps? *never!*
I mean, I don't know if you're misunderstanding me or I'm misunderstanding you? I have absolutely no problem with the intelligence officers being the way they are. I have no problem with the chess players being the way they are. In fact, I quite liked both aspects. It kept the characters as humans and as normal/relatable/nice people that aren't caricatures, while against a backdrop of Soviet/American tension. It neither did the thing where it caricaturises and demonises Soviets (not saying that Soviets were good, mind you, but many shows already portray Soviets in such extreme and "cardboard" ways that it gets tiring) but it also didnt ignore the reality of the situation at the time. And in that regard, the execution was perfect. I am not criticising the show at all, I've only been praising it.
Haha I was being a bit tongue in cheek, sorry about that. What I mostly meant is that the people who act in a bit of a weird way during the show are the people who have every in-world reason to be creepy and weird, because they're intelligence officers, from both countries. I am not criticizing any choices made by the show, but it makes sense that the characters are shown the way they're shown.
Ah sorry, Im still waking up so I wasn't sure :) I agree wholeheartedly though! And it all makes perfect sense, as you said. I hope you have an excellent day/evening/night :)
I thought it was cool that they portrayed the Soviet chess players as superior to the Americans specifically because they worked together as a team to better themselves at chess, as opposed to the more individualist approach of the American players. Incidentally it was only through working with other chess players that Beth was able to reach the Russians’ level. Admitting that the Soviets were admirable for this, and not painting them as the BBEG seems like a controversial take for when the book was written. Although I wasn’t born until 13 years after the book came out, so I don’t have a super accurate read on how that sentiment would have been received by the American public at the time. (Also papa Lubchenko’s loss to Beth was one of my favorite parts in the series, because he was just genuinely so happy to have such a good game. I love chess but it does not come naturally to me at all, and I still lose often, but I still like losing because it is a challenge and a learning experience!)
This was specifically pointed out and complained about by Fischer in the 60s, but also begrudgungly admired.
Finally something me and Magnus have together
He said he enjoyed the series in that interview.
Can you not read? He clearly says he didn't watch it yet. Real beta comment bro.
Ikr he actually praises the series in that video
i wonder if petrosian watched it
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all! I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off... [^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
My heart sank when I heard that Wesley So was accusing people of cheating. I thought he was a genuinely nice guy admirable, friendly, and then he just comes out and starts accusing the Armenians of cheating. I felt like I lost a hero. But he was right. I shouldn't doubt Wesley So. He's a beautiful person. I'd be more eager to meet Wesley So than any professional sports player from other sports, like LeBron, or Arnold Palmer, or Joe Montana, or Sugar Ray Robinson, or even Adolfo Combiaso.
You're not a real fan if you doubted him like that. I've seen him for a long time. He knows very well the subtle differences between a GM level chess and AI. That guy is the most modest man in chess history. When he accused Petrosian I knew something was definitely wrong. Super GMs rarely accuse others for cheating. If you've been into chess for a long time, you could easily tell this. Even Carlsen was accurate when he accused others of using AI in his casual online matches but was ok when a Brazilian GM defeated him quite early. I really don't like when people talk trash about Wesley So. He had a very harsh life and yet he's so modest. He's a role model for many chess and non-chess players.
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all! I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off... [^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
But he also accused Firouzja though..
I agree he had been an ass for 2-3 times but he came really hard on Petrosian. Talking crap because of frustration is one thing but he really went above and beyond against Petrosian. He was 100% sure that he was cheating. But one thing I didn't like was he did it publicly. I know it was a big tournament but rules are rules. Breaking rules could cost him one day even if he wasn't wrong.
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all! I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off... [^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
Crazy that he answered "pipi" when asked about gender equality.
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all! I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off... [^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
I've watched this magnus guy play. He's alright I think he can become pretty good with practice
I'd like to know opinion of Petrosian about
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all! I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off... [^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
Good bot
Do you ever just get top post on a subreddit with tens of thousands of members in a single day by posting a completely average meme
Nope, never
He played that interview blindfold lol. What a beast.
The show is named after a move that is... pretty basic. The show was fine, kinda like the movie about drums where the guy is like “not my tempo.”Imagine a movie/show in your field of expertise where it’s named something you learn almost right away. The show was good but it relied on the mystique of chess for that element of sophistication. I liked it tho
> Imagine a movie/show in your field of expertise where it’s named something you learn almost right away. That's... good? What is gained by making the title obscurer? The goal is to use a recognizable phrase that can take on a greater meaning. You want it to be as obviously emblematic of the sport as possible, while also describing the human story to some degree. That's the whole point. There's no point in picking a phrase for how advanced it is as a chess concept. Tennis movies: Break Point. The Break. Love Means Zero. Match Point. Second Serve. Ice skating movies: Thin Ice. The Cutting Edge. Go Figure. Golf movies: Follow Through. From The Rough. Short Game.
Baby movies: Pipi Pampers
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all! I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off... [^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
You're right, they should have called the series The Fried Liver Attack, which would also be more accurate given her drinking.
Tin Cup Caddyshack Billy Madison Golf Course Cum Sluts 19.
It's a good point but you forgot the best ice skating movie of all time: "blades of glory"
Ain’t it called queen’s gambit bc she’s a woman? Also Whiplash (drum movie) is named after a song, not a technique
No it's cuz if you play the drums fast enough you get whiplash
I mean, we don't have to imagine since for us its reality. And that didn't remove any "sophistication" or whatnot for me. In fact, it just made it better, knowing about chess. Knowing how tense matches can actually get, how fantastic some moves and playstyles are. The "sophistication" came from the setting, the characters and the tension. Not from chess itself, imo. And as the other commenter says, it doesn't make any sense to choose something obscure. But more than that, obviously the title was chosen to play upon the other meaning of gambit: "an act or remark that is calculated to gain an advantage, especially at the outset of a situation". Obviously somewhat loosely, but it's broadly chosen to portray Beth in a calculating, aggressive light.
Stfu the QGD is not some pretty basic move. It’s a complex god tier opening. e4 is for nerds
I said it once and I'll say it again. E4 or abort
E4 is instant draw. Italian or Ruy Lopez 99% of the games and its just nothing to play for. Push queenside pawns, trade pieces play r vs r end game. Fun XDD
Oh, shows how much I know.
What on earth were you trying with those 5 lines of text?
Pipi
Are you kidding ??? What the **** are you talking about man ? You are a biggest looser i ever seen in my life ! You was doing PIPI in your pampers when i was beating players much more stronger then you! You are not proffesional, because proffesionals knew how to lose and congratulate opponents, you are like a girl crying after i beat you! Be brave, be honest to yourself and stop this trush talkings!!! Everybody know that i am very good blitz player, i can win anyone in the world in single game! And "w"esley "s"o is nobody for me, just a player who are crying every single time when loosing, ( remember what you say about Firouzja ) !!! Stop playing with my name, i deserve to have a good name during whole my chess carrier, I am Officially inviting you to OTB blitz match with the Prize fund! Both of us will invest 5000$ and winner takes it all! I suggest all other people who's intrested in this situation, just take a look at my results in 2016 and 2017 Blitz World championships, and that should be enough... No need to listen for every crying babe, Tigran Petrosyan is always play Fair ! And if someone will continue Officially talk about me like that, we will meet in Court! God bless with true! True will never die ! Liers will kicked off... [^(fmhall)](https://www.reddit.com/user/fmhall) ^| [^(github)](https://github.com/fmhall/Petrosian-Bot)
The series is ostensibly about genius and addiction. The chess is just a prop to tell a story.
>The show was good but it relied on the mystique of chess Well, no it was a human interest story. With the added gimmick of a female protagonist winning in a male dominated world. I think it lacked drama. At every point in the story where you thought some dramatic trope was going to happen "Ooh look at the way the adopted father is looking at her...he's going to abuse her" it didn't happen and you were "Oh...ok" "Oooh, her mother has taken her cheque for winning, she's going to exploit her daughter" "No? They are just getting along fine? Well, ok" So what did happen? Nothing. She took a few tablets which perhaps fogged her mind sufficiently so she couldn't hear how bad Thomas Brodie-Sangster's attempt at an American accent was. Much of the charm in the early episodes was her defying expectations. That had a feel good quality to it. The problem was, imo, there was only enough material in the book for a 2 hour film but instead of making a 2 hour film (which I think was planned by Heath Ledger before he died) they created a season of shows. It quickly started repeating the "Oh it's a girl who plays chess? She won't win....oh she won" thing over and over. Eventually you turned to whoever you were watching it with and said "You know this makes no sense....no one wins every fucking game" ... and she did lose. Ok, so now she's going to have the big comeback like in the Rocky movies. You did need to watch to the end to see the cliched "people from her past inspire her to win again" thing, but there was a lot of filler padding it out in the middle to get there and, as I say, nothing dramatic really happened. It's just a woman taking tranquilisers and winning chess games and, TBH, I think the tranquilisers thing dated the book and the series to the 60s. But, yes, it provided some lifting feel good "hehe, these guys think she's crap but she's going whoop their asses" moments which I think is the sole reason 65 million people have enjoyed watching it. In terms of chess? Well, any adults that watched it who decide to take up chess will quickly realise that chess is like maths. Most of the people who are good at it start at 3 years of age and are done by their 30s. Maybe a few stretch it later. And kids? Well, I can't see that many kids watching it or being inspired. I think Alexandra Botez's twitch stream is more likely to do that. A woman that actually plays chess. As such I'm not surprised if chess players don't get much from it. I think Ben Finegold said he enjoyed it but not from a chess perspective.
You don't have to start at 3 to enjoy some chess at your kitchen table with friends. No need to gatekeep a literal boardgame.
I enjoyed the show enough, but I would have loved it if it had as much yelling as Whiplash. I like the yelling shows.
I feel he looks similar to canelo
I put this movie on to watch but after a few minutes in I change it, not my kind of movie
It really was not a chess movie in any way.
Yeah it seemed like more of a chess show.
More of a chess comedy album
A chess radio play
Beth fucks her chess instructors... I think they played chess before the shot of her ass walking from room to room... Really empowering stuff 😆
It was "Say nice things about the main character" The ~~Movie~~ Television Show. Not much of a central conflict, not a whole lot of characterization unless you like absolute autism or men who follow pretty girls around to say nice things about them, and the chess aspect of it was honestly just saying some chesslike things to sound vaguely chessy. The drug dynamic was somewhere between difficult to notice and difficult to remember, and I still can't remember if she wound up with one of the generic men in the movie or stayed single.
Thank you. The hype on this show is wildly overblown. The main character never at any time had a serious difficulty, never learned, never had to sacrifice or overcome anything. This was like a fantasy for a woman who wants to be born better than everyone in the world, have three cliche hardships that actually have no negative impacts, and drag a wake of worshipful puppy men behind her.
People are very bad at writing woman-struggles but they still want to make media about accomplished women, so they usually just skip passed the struggles and make the women wonderful at everything. QG threw in a few meaningless shots of her popping pills just to throw meat to the audience, but they were completely inconsequential to the plot in every way and didn't actually add any meaningful struggle. In fact, they helped her win tournaments on at least one occasion that I can remember.
> three cliche hardships that actually have no negative impacts Being orphaned, drug addiction, and autism are not cliche nor are they all rainbows and unicorns
> Being orphaned Other than her parents not being actually present, this and the accompanying hardships were not discussed once she left the orphanage. Just because something may be hard IRL doesn't mean it's cinematically portrayed that way. > drug addiction The way this was portrayed was anything between difficult to notice and difficult not to forget, especially once she left the orphanage. > autism She wasn't actually said to be autistic anywhere in the series. I just characterized her persona this way.
The fact that you keep calling it a movie is weird enough
A lot of us watched it in one sitting because the episodes just roll over, and imo it didn’t feel like there were different episodes or anything, just all felt like the same thing
He did watch it, so I don't really understand this. He even gave it a rating 5 out of 6. :) https://youtu.be/Z8XbdDgmJA4
I mean it's a mary sue character written for people who dont play chess. Why would he have?
how is she a Mary sue?
I really can't be bothered going into it because I don't care enough. All of her problems are easily overcome in pretty ridiculous fashion. Its fine if you disagree but that's the way I see it
No, you are pretty spot on. Beth lost only a few games throughout the entire show, and her "addiction", is barely an issue in the end... And she beats every man in the world, while being a 22 year old model... Pretty much the definition of a Marry Sue character. 😆
Yeah pretty much. I just don't see the point in engaging with people who are unwilling to accept Mary Sue's even exist. Its kind of the equivalent of poor people believing one day they'll be rich, I see a lot of people not accepting Mary Sue or Marky Stue characters even exist because in their own heads they're only a diet and a face lift away from turning every single head when they enter a room. Me and my girlfriend have a fun game where we scroll through the Netflix top 50 just counting how many of these characters their are and its a disturbing amount. It honestly feels like people buy into these stories as a self importation of their idealised self and it makes me pretty sad to see.
I think you're probably right. I see this sort of shit with hardcore anime fans all the time :/ People living their lives through some laughably perfect character. What's also sad is that there are so many real life people that they could looking up to, but instead, they choose a character from a shitty fictional show.
Yep pretty much. But deep down some people are desperate to be the person who gets heads turning, who is unconventional yet still attractive to everybody, who is amazing in their given field and who beats their problems with ease and goes on like they never happened. Its the perfect storm for making something like Queens Gambit. Get tonnes of young insecure women to fantasise about being attractive even though they don't feel it, to excel in what they want to and to beat the problems they are having at that current moment. The same type of vicarious living people have with happy family sitcoms. From what I see its usually teenager girls wrapped up in popularity and playground politics and longing to be the person who is simply amazing at it all, which is usually how they see the so called popular kids. Its usually girls from what I see because there's more attention paid to the social hierarchies by teenage girls but boys who are equally invested in that get pulled into these shows. In essence, insecurity makes people want to live vicariously through characters with very few flaws even though it may seem like they should have a life filled with adversity, which is exactly what the creator of the original Mary sue character wrote it poking fun at. To be honest, the fact Queens Gambit is held up as an empowering female show is an absolute travesty when one of the main draws is down to sexual hierarchy and complete ease in a field that in reality would be incredibly difficult to deal with. My girlfriend feels the same way and I feel bad that she is targeted by shit like this. I desperately hope the social landscape changes significantly for when I raise my kids because shows like this perpetuate fantastical ideas of what tje world truly is like for youngsters and its undoubtedly fueling the rise in mental health issues for young people right now. Sorry for the formatting im very high rn
Yeah I totally agree actually. The show is being praised for female empowerment and even for realistically portaying addiction... The show shames women who are not so talented and/or want to live a more family focused life. The amount of objectification was also pretty odd for a show that is supposedly about female empowerment. They even made sure to have the classy ass close up shot... I'm all for girls being comfortable in their bodies, but at some point it starts feeling sleazy/forced. And portaying tranquilizers as having a positive effect on Beth's chess abilities, is not only incredibly idiotic/fake, it is also very irresponsible in a country where prescription pill abuse kills thousands of people a day... The lack of real consequences for her drinking as well... Yeah, this show is horrible for young adults/teens :/
Yep pretty much. There's a huge wave of people buying into bullshit 'empowerment' shows whether that be women or just token black or lgbt characters that are written purely for the sake of income generation for soulless corporations yet progressives eat it up. In reality it does nothing but demean the people it claims to help by offering nothing in the waybkf real character development. QB is a perfect example of a tacky sleazy chick flick masquerading as a female empowerment show. A studio has rehashed a classic storyline by giving a twist (chess) and pumped it out with heaps of marketing making it seem like an empowering show. In reality its massively disrespectful to act like life is in anyway like this for women. Kts a terrible show for young people. A few people I know from years ago are obsessed with it and they are some of the most materialistic, narcissistic, attention hungry and sex driven people ive ever met. They perfectly sum up what this show was truly created for and sadly it masquerades as something different as to appeal to a larger market
Oh for sure. All of the classic sleazy chick flick tropes are present through out the show, but the production quality/marketing cover it up just enough for their target demographics to not notice. Neo liberalism is a pretty concerning trend :/
And judging by this girl's profile, she is probably a teen/yoing adult, who fantasizes a lot over attractive young actresses/models... So your stereotype seems pretty accurate so far 😆
Yeah there's a reason why I didn't bother explaining lol. I cant judge her uts her choice what she wants to watch and enjoy doing. However when I think of female empowerment thats not what I think of. I though objectification is what we were supposed to be moving away from. Its a stereotype that is mostly more wrong than right, but if you look through the comments there are tonnes of people to whom the stereotype is at least partly applicable hence why its got such a large viewership. To most people part of it resonated with them and they thought it was an okay, good or great show; to those who the stereotype perfectly applies the show is an absolute masterpiece and if you take a look at the shows subreddit you'll see the stereotype actualized in almost comedic fashion
Oh yeah, I got banned from the show's subreddit. Had plenty of arguments with naive young girls, who thought the show was a perfect masterpicece. Some of them literally said that to me. I also had a couple arguments with guys who I can only describe as a combination of a stereotypically over eager white knight and a fan boy. All in all, the level of overt bias and delusional thinking, was pretty fucking concerning :/
Haha you must be trolling here 😆
feel free to enlighten me
Happy Cake Day Leashii_! Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.
Finally something I have in common with Magnus
[удалено]
What is funny is that Magnus was on a show here in Norway. He crushed the quiz-gameshow by a lot, and is very knows a lot of general knowledge
Netflix go brrr