Did "The Queen's Gambit" make much news in Lexington?

[mktmaker]

For those of you who are not familiar:


The Queen's Gambit is a 2020 American coming-of-age period drama miniseries based on Walter Tevis's 1983 novel of the same name. It was written and directed by Scott Frank, who created it with Allan Scott. Beginning in the mid-1950s and proceeding into the 1960s, the story follows the life of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), an orphaned chess prodigy on her rise to the top of the chess world while struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.

Netflix released The Queen's Gambit on October 23, 2020. After four weeks it had become Netflix's most-watched scripted miniseries.[1] It received critical acclaim, with praise going towards Taylor-Joy's performance as well as for the cinematography and production values. It has also received a positive response from the chess community and is claimed to have increased public interest in the game.






The story is based on a female orphan in Lexington (whose mother kills herself -- on New Circle Road (!) ).

 

[rudd1]

-idk about making news...but one of the local nprish stations(weku i think) had an interview with the authors son that i enjoyed.

-overall a pretty good show. Engaging.

 

[Kooky Kats]

Was ok until there was an unnecessary, heavy-handed anti-Christian, pro-Communist bent at the end...then, I was like...Dude, why?

 

[uk_bill]

While set here, wasn't filmed here which was disappointing...still very well done and worth watching

 

[rudd1]

-i will say im in the market for a new set (zagreb 59') and prices are through the roof and availability is a problem as well. I blame netflix.

 

[rudd1]

Was ok until there was an unnecessary, heavy-handed anti-Christian, pro-Communist bent at the end...then, I was like...Dude, why?

-didn't really add anything to the show...thankfully it was just 1 episode. Oh, and you know "why". I may read the book to see how important it was in the original story.

 

[Blue63Madison]

-i will say im in the market for a new set (zagreb 59') and prices are through the roof and availability is a problem as well. I blame netflix.

LOL ... well played. I used to play a lot, but hadn’t in several years before watching the Queen’s Gambit series (which was really good). Now I’m back into it, and currently building a new board in my shop.

 

[funKYcat75]

21c put in a room based on it

https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/offer/the-harmon-room/

 

[mktmaker]

Was ok until there was an unnecessary, heavy-handed anti-Christian, pro-Communist bent at the end...then, I was like...Dude, why?

Well, the Grandmaster was also the Soviet champion.

And the Moscow citizens treated her like a rock star.




Beth is able to travel to Moscow to play in the Moscow Invitational, accompanied by Booth, a minder from the State Department who gives her strict instructions not to fraternize with the Soviets. "Liza" becomes popular with the Soviet public and is mobbed for autographs every time she exits the playing venue. She defeats several tough opponents, including ex-World Champion Luchenko. In the final game with Borgov, Beth plays the Queen's Gambit; the game is adjourned, which is permitted after forty moves.

 

[uk_bill]

Was ok until there was an unnecessary, heavy-handed anti-Christian, pro-Communist bent at the end...then, I was like...Dude, why?

I took away that she learned from the Russians that she couldn't win the big matches all by herself and she used her "team" of friends. Also its not propaganda to say they are more into chess than we are lol.

 

[mktmaker]

21c put in a room based on it

https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/offer/the-harmon-room/

Now that is funny!


LEXINGTON THE HARMON ROOM
A retro time capsule of American mid-century modern design inspired by the Lexington-based Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit.

Unique room features include:

• Mid-century modern furniture and accessories
• Larger-than-life overhead chessboard art installation
• Custom chess-themed wallpaper
• Locally made chess set (Available for purchase while supplies last)
• Guide to area landmarks featured on The Queen’s Gambit
• Complimentary “Lex Liquors” tote bag as seen on The Queen’s Gambit

Available for a limited time only. Max occupancy is 2 people.

To book, select dates of stay using preferential code HARMON. Select Rate for the Corner King and view the Package tab for the Harmon Room rate. Rate will not appear if the room is unavailable for the requested date(s).

 

[LineSkiCat14]

50's and 60's decor makes me uneasy. That show had more unsettling scenes than many horror movies. Wood panneling? Wall paper!? WHY!?

 

[Kooky Kats]

Well, the Grandmaster was also the Soviet champion.

And the Moscow citizens treated her like a rock star.




Beth is able to travel to Moscow to play in the Moscow Invitational, accompanied by Booth, a minder from the State Department who gives her strict instructions not to fraternize with the Soviets. "Liza" becomes popular with the Soviet public and is mobbed for autographs every time she exits the playing venue. She defeats several tough opponents, including ex-World Champion Luchenko. In the final game with Borgov, Beth plays the Queen's Gambit; the game is adjourned, which is permitted after forty moves.

Everyone treated her like a rockstar and she didn’t reciprocate because she was a whack job.

 

[BlueVelvetFog]

While set here, wasn't filmed here which was disappointing...still very well done and worth watching

The mountains and palm trees with the sounds of breaking surf effed it up

 

[Bill - Shy Cat]

I enjoyed this series very much.

 

[pitinoshairplugs]

Was ok until there was an unnecessary, heavy-handed anti-Christian, pro-Communist bent at the end...then, I was like...Dude, why?

huh? That’s a wild take.

 

[JumperJack]

Good series. Although set in Lexington,
didn’t look like Lexington and several inaccuracies about Lexington.

Not much wokeism which was refreshing.

 

[rudd1]

-i didnt see much pro commie stuff...and i hate commies. They did take a potshot at religion in the one episode...seemed forced.

 

[Catman100]

I thought it was a damn good series. Enjoyed every single episode.

 

[DSmith21]

Isn't the series just a rip off of the Bobby Fischer story? They just made the lead a female. It was fairly entertaining though.

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/the-queens-gambit-beth-harmon-bobby-fischer

 

[HymanKaplan_rivals48997]

I wish somebody would do either a good book or biopic on Paul Morphy. There just isn't much out there

 

[HymanKaplan_rivals48997]

There's a guy on youtube that breaks down his most famous games, and it's fascinating the way he played. Preferring to win in an 'elegant' way. I get that the game changed a lot, and his competition wasn't close to what he'd face today, but still, what a mind.

 

[HymanKaplan_rivals48997]

-i will say im in the market for a new set (zagreb 59') and prices are through the roof and availability is a problem as well. I blame netflix.

I've got a set, triple weighted, not boxwood of course, but tournament sized, and a rollup 24 by 24 inch mat/board from House of Chess. If I can get to a 1800 I'll consider an upgrade.

 

[CastleRubric]

-idk about making news...but one of the local nprish stations(weku i think) had an interview with the authors son that i enjoyed.

-overall a pretty good show. Engaging.

Watched the series - really appreciated the unique story line and cast of characters

Tbe Russians were portrayed very well

 

[mktmaker]

-i will say im in the market for a new set (zagreb 59') and prices are through the roof and availability is a problem as well. I blame netflix.

 

[CastleRubric]

I've got a set, triple weighted, not boxwood of course, but tournament sized, and a rollup 24 by 24 inch mat/board from House of Chess. If I can get to a 1800 I'll consider an upgrade.

I e played off/on since I was maybe 10 - but I’m not actually any good .....but I do appreciate a nicely crafted board / pieces

and that’s another way in which the series was unique -

chess is a great game no doubt

But it’s fairly marginal in terms of the footprint it has on most people/places within typical American society

yet they somehow used it as the primary vehicle to draw you into the storyline and make you care about what was happening to the characters

You wind up wanting to see the players develop and win - you even get a sense of awe and maybe pity for the Soviet players as they live out this weird blend of rock star / prisoner persona

the girl was pretty freakin fine too

HymanK - do you ha e a preference between wooden. vs the metallic (yet nicely detailed) sets ?

I love the nice wooden pieces but the Dungeons &Dragons geek in me wants a nice metallic set with the medieval themed pieces

my older brother also had a good marble set that I learned on —nice aesthetic

 

[CastleRubric]

Hahaha -

after posting that I looked up to see who else was posting here and somehow —- even though I’ve never met you —- I’m seeing a couple of men that I fully expected to see. [laughing][laughing]

 

[ukgrad83]

There's a guy on youtube that breaks down his most famous games, and it's fascinating the way he played. Preferring to win in an 'elegant' way. I get that the game changed a lot, and his competition wasn't close to what he'd face today, but still, what a mind.

You referring to Agadmator or GothamChess? Both enjoyable chess channels.

 

[vhcat70]

They had front KY license plates on cars. No effing way that happened. Also, some cars' age didn't fit the supposed date. Oh well. ANyway, we enjoyed it a lot.

 

[Tskware]

Henry Clay Fighting Owls??

Plus a corrugated 2 lane steel bridge over "New Circle Road". That was weird

But the department store where she shopped for clothes as a kid really brought back some memories, that is how I remembered it looked, more or less.

It was a good series, I watched it all, and I am not much of a TV fan at all.

 

[TexasTimCat]

Loved the show - drove me to start playing again after a number of years of not touching a board.

And yes - the girl was smoke - that did not hurt.

 

[gamecockcat]

I think it was filmed in Canada, IIRC.

I really liked the series. Thought it was well done. I don't care anything about chess but I definitely remember when Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky in early 70s - it was big news.

One thing I never realized about chess was how the best players memorized so many techniques from prior champions and used them over and over (with a tweak here or there). Certainly a massive amount of material to memorize but I didn't realize that the best players aren't 'making it up as they go along' but are playing bits and pieces of other famous games/gambits/techniques. I find it interesting that world-class chess is played that way. Just never thought of it.

 

[Tskware]

I think it was filmed in Canada, IIRC.

I really liked the series. Thought it was well done. I don't care anything about chess but I definitely remember when Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky in early 70s - it was big news.

One thing I never realized about chess was how the best players memorized so many techniques from prior champions and used them over and over (with a tweak here or there). Certainly a massive amount of material to memorize but I didn't realize that the best players aren't 'making it up as they go along' but are playing bits and pieces of other famous games/gambits/techniques. I find it interesting that world-class chess is played that way. Just never thought of it.

I have dabbled in chess over the years, but also played a little bridge. Now THAT is a tough card game. Definitely a thinking man's game.

 

[mktmaker]

Henry Clay Fighting Owls??

Plus a corrugated 2 lane steel bridge over "New Circle Road". That was weird

But the department store where she shopped for clothes as a kid really brought back some memories, that is how I remembered it looked, more or less.

It was a good series, I watched it all, and I am not much of a TV fan at all.

As you can see, Ben Snyder is on the right.

The legendary Phoenix hotel on the left.

The theater next to Ben Snyder is the "Ben Ali."

When I was a student at UK they would show a classic movie on morning television each day called "The Ben Ali Theater." And they showed great movies like "Rebecca" and "The Razor's Edge."

(Ben Ali was the 1886 Kentucky Derby winner.)

Notice the man on stilts in the front of the Ben Ali photo.

 

[HymanKaplan_rivals48997]

You referring to Agadmator or GothamChess? Both enjoyable chess channels.

agadmator - He goes a little fast for me when he examines the possible scenarios, but he cracks me up. I can't remember the particular game, but he said something like, "And now let's see how Morphy made (player y) pay for his insolence." LOL cracked me up.

 

[HymanKaplan_rivals48997]

I think it was filmed in Canada, IIRC.

I really liked the series. Thought it was well done. I don't care anything about chess but I definitely remember when Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky in early 70s - it was big news.

One thing I never realized about chess was how the best players memorized so many techniques from prior champions and used them over and over (with a tweak here or there). Certainly a massive amount of material to memorize but I didn't realize that the best players aren't 'making it up as they go along' but are playing bits and pieces of other famous games/gambits/techniques. I find it interesting that world-class chess is played that way. Just never thought of it.

It bothered the hell out of Fisher. so he advocated for variant games/randomized openings...

 

[HymanKaplan_rivals48997]

Wyvern - I'm not good enough to invest in a nice set yet. I did want tournament sized and weighted pieces and a large board (I just went with the rollup mat) though

You can get both for under 40 dollars.

 

[Blue63Madison]

agadmator - He goes a little fast for me when he examines the possible scenarios, but he cracks me up. I can't remember the particular game, but he said something like, "And now let's see how Morphy made (player y) pay for his insolence." LOL cracked me up.

He’s awesome. Some of the puzzles he solves, makes me seriously question my abilities.

 

[J_Dee]

Also, some cars' age didn't fit the supposed date. Oh well.

The cars aren't the show's only anachronism. XD