Critics and audiences have almost unanimously agreed that Netflix's greatest miniseries could be The Queen's Gambit. It follows Elizabeth "Beth" Harmon from girlhood to young adulthood. Viewers first get to know her as a young orphan after her mother dies in a (most likely intentional) car accident.
At the orphanage, Beth becomes addicted to a tranquilizer pill given to each child, and also learns to play chess. Years later, she's finally adopted, leaving behind her friend Jolene, and finding a new life of high school, chess, and travel. Along her journey, she becomes the best chess player in the world, losing and finding herself over again, and finds a new family. The series is empowering in its messages of feminism, autonomy, independence, and found family.
Updated on January 19th, 2022, by Kevin Pantoja: The Queen's Gambit proved to be one of the best and most popular series of 2020. After being skyrocketed to stardom, Anya Taylor-Joy's performance as Beth has scored her a number of awards and nominations. In fact, Beth Harmon quotes have quickly become iconic since the show's initial release. Of course, she's far from the only character who gets to deliver memorable lines throughout the series, with everyone else chipping in some poignant and important lines as well.
Alice Gives Some Quality Advice
"Men Are Gonna Come Along And Want To Teach You Things. Doesn't Make Them Any Smarter ..."
Beth's birth mother Alice may not have been the perfect role model, but it seems that she got some things right. While her methods may be questionable, she tries to teach Beth some pivotal life lessons, which Beth carries with her into adulthood.
Alice is bitter towards her ex, and it seems her resentment extends to the entire male gender. She tells Beth that men like to prove their intelligence, but it doesn't mean they're actually smarter or superior to women. "You go on ahead and do just what the hell you feel like," she tells her daughter.
Alma Also Gives Great Advice
"... What You Know Isn't Always What's Important."
She is a flawed character, but Alma offers Beth more than a few nuggets of wisdom. When she meets Beth, she doesn't quite approve of her affinity for chess.
Beth expresses her desire to play chess seriously and competitively, and when she wants to buy a chess set, she tells Alma it's what she knows. "Well, my experience has taught me what you know isn't always what's important," Alma responds. While this doesn't prove to be true for Beth, it is true for Alma and reflects her pessimistic outlook on life.
Alma Understands More Than Anyone Realizes
"Intuition Can't Be Found In Books."
Alma never loved chess the way Beth did and she certainly didn't understand it nearly on that level either. However, Alma was a smart woman who figured out that everything that can make someone a successful chess player isn't simply tied to knowledge.
Although Beth knew every strategy that she needed, Alma provided this dose of wisdom for her. She also pointed out that the crowd cheered loudest when Beth made a quick move from her gut rather than one that was well-thought-out. Alma knew Beth had greatness in her without learning things purely from books.
An Impressed Mr. Shaibel
"To Tell You The Truth Of It, Child, You're Astounding."
Beth's love of chess would've never been born if it wasn't for Mr. Shaibel. Although he was hesitant to teach her at first, he eventually brought her on to play and helped her understand the game. It wasn't long before Beth was far better than him.
It meant the world to Beth when Mr. Shaibel told her this line. He wasn't just impressed with her skills but was actually blown away and found her to be astounding. It set the tone for how others would also go on to feel about Beth and how Mr. Shaibel would follow her career with pride.
Luckily, Beth Is A Strong Woman
"It Takes A Strong Woman To Stay By Herself In A World Where People Will Settle For Anything Just To Say They Have Something."
Once again, Alice Harmon has something wise to tell a young Beth. She may have been misguided, but Alice was certainly smart - something Beth seems to have inherited from her mother. Alice tells Beth that most people are afraid to be alone and that it's especially hard for women to create a life for themselves on their own.
Beth sees examples of women who "settle for anything just to say they have something" in her classmates. As they grow older, their standards sink, and some of Beth's former bullies are seen to be unhappily married, existing for someone else's benefit.
An Important Sisterly Bond
"We Weren't Orphans As Long As We Had Each Other."
Their friendship and the depiction of it may be a little flawed, but what matters is that Beth and Jolene can count on each other. They find they both have something to learn from one another by the time they've grown up, and they realize that they were never really alone.
In the orphanage, Jolene helped Beth in many ways. Beth kept Jolene company, and when she was adopted, Jolene felt alone. When they meet again, years later, they realize they weren't orphans because they had each other.
True Family Members
"I'm Here Because You Need Me To Be Here. That's What Family Does."
By the time the final few episodes come around, it's possible to forget that Jolene was an important part of Beth's life. So, it comes as a surprise when she shows up on Beth's doorstep just when things are looking to be at their bleakest for the chess prodigy.
When asked why she had returned, Jolene had the best possible answer. There didn't need to be any special occasion for her to be back. She was simply there because Beth was in need of someone and no matter how much they'd grown apart, they were still family.
High Praise For Beth
"You're A Marvel, My Dear. I Have Just Played The Best Chess Player In My Life."
When Beth arrives for the big tournament in Russia, she's a little intimidated by all the grandmasters and esteemed names around her. One of the great players she must defeat is Luchenko.
It's a tough game, but she does it. In the end, Luchenko is friendly and gracious and compliments her generously to the point where feels comforted and humbled. She sees now that she has support and respect within the global chess community.
More Than Just A Game
"Chess Isn't Always Competitive. Chess Can Also Be Beautiful."
After winning one of her first major tournaments, Beth captures the attention of local news outlets. In one interview, she is asked about a few things, including how close her genius is to madness. Of course, Beth is never perturbed, and answers evenly.
Beth talks about how she was initially drawn to the game: "Chess can also be beautiful. It was the board I noticed first. It's an entire world of just 64 squares. I feel safe in it. I can control it; I can dominate it. And it's predictable, so if I get hurt, I only have myself to blame."
More Wise Words
"It's Foolish To Run The Risk Of Going Mad For Vanity's Sake."
In a lot of ways, Harry Beltik becomes a sort of mentor to Beth after she defeats him as a teenager. He is humbled and later helps her through her career. In addition to teaching her tactics and strategies, he also offers wise advice on the lifestyle that comes with chess.
He thinks that Beth is perhaps too obsessed with chess - or rather, too obsessed with winning. She punishes herself severely whenever she loses or even when she thinks she could have lost. Harry tries to encourage her to tame herself, to not throw away her sanity for the sake of living a lavish life, while aiming to be the best.
Confidence Is Key
"Do You See It Now? Or Should We Finish This On The Board?"
Beth soon becomes confident in her ability to win and even a little cocky. (Anya Taylor-Joy plays this tilt in Beth's attitude perfectly). It proves to be no problem, though, since she really is capable of winning almost every single game.
At some tournaments, she encounters many different kinds of players - different in their approach to the game, as well as different in their personalities. Some are sore losers, while others refuse to concede. Beth prods one player to accept that she has won as soon as they both realize it.
The View From The Top
"You've Been The Best At What You Do For So Long, You Don't Even Know What It's Like For The Rest Of Us."
Jolene makes a triumphant return at the end of the series, proving to be Beth's final and truest mentor and friend. She helps Beth see the bigger picture and gives her a bit of a reality check.
"You've been the best at what you do for so long, you don't even know what it's like for the rest of us." This statement gives both Beth and the audience pause. What Jolene says is true, but it's also the fact that Beth doesn't remember what it's like to be ordinary. She became a winner at such a young age that she doesn't know any other way to be - and this is arguably her biggest flaw.
The Rush Of The First Win
"It Felt Good. I Never Won At Anything Before."
There's no question that life was difficult for young Beth Harmon given her mother's passing and her time in the orphanage. However, everything seemed to change when she started playing chess with Mr. Shaibel, including her outlook on life.
When she finally earned a victory over Mr. Shaibel, this was Beth's reaction. She had never won at anything before, so this was a new feeling for her. She relished in it and it kind of became a thing she was obsessed with as a chess player.
Winning Became Everything
"The One Thing We Know About Elizabeth Harmon Is That She Loves To Win."
During the final tournament of the series, Beth is in Moscow, playing the best of the best since she had become one of them. The commentator perfectly sums up Beth's character in a single sentence.
"The one thing we know about Elizabeth Harmon is that she loves to win." In fact, this is one of the only things anyone - including Beth - knows about Beth for sure. She's ever-changing, enigmatic, and unsure of her true identity, but victory is a constant in her career.
Sound Advice From Harry
"Anger Is A Potent Spice. A Pinch Wakes You Up. Too Much Dulls Your Senses."
Once again, Harry Beltik offers Beth a wise piece of advice, and something she would do well to heed. Unfortunately, Beth isn't one to just listen to others and change her ways.
"Anger is a potent spice. A pinch wakes you up. Too much dulls your senses." Harry is warning Beth against several things: her addiction to winning, as well as her use of substances. She is quick to anger, and never quicker than when she's angry at herself, usually for missing something in an opponent's strategy.
Beth Can Get Sassy
"I Would Say It Is Much Easier To Play Chess Without The Burden Of An Adam's Apple."
Beth is witty, something that makes her both attractive and formidable to her male opponents. She almost always plays males in chess, and all of her friends in the chess world are men.
However, during one interview at a tournament, she smoothly dismisses a question about how it feels being the only woman playing the game. To Beth, it makes no difference: she is the best, and being a woman doesn't hinder her in the slightest.
There's A Lot Of Ego In Chess
"It's Chess. We're All Primadonnas."
Part of what makes Harry and Beth so likable is their strong friendship and it's one that continues on into her adulthood. Beth starts using her money to buy nice clothes, expensive drinks, cigarettes, and other luxuries.
Some people accuse her of being too glamorous to play chess, and early on in the series, she asks Harry if he thinks she's a primadonna. He, however, answers that they (chess players) are all primadonnas, all equally as self-obsessed as she is.
Jolene Doesn't Have The Answers
"I'm Not Your Guardian Angel. I'm Not Here To Save You. Hell, I Can Barely Save Me."
When Jolene comes back into Beth's life, she is overcome with emotion and gratitude. Jolene offers her a lot of advice and puts things into perspective for Beth, something she hadn't even considered before.
She tells Jolene that she's her guardian angel, but once again, Jolene gives her a reality check: nobody can save Beth but herself. "I'm not your guardian angel. I'm not here to save you. Hell, I can barely save me."
Setting Up The Big Showdown
"There Is One Player That Scares Me. The Russian. Borgov."
As soon as Beth proved that she was going to dominate the everyday players that she took on, the series had to establish her biggest threat. That came as soon as she informed Alma that there was one player who felt like her biggest challenge.
She mentioned Borgov, the Russian player who was considered the best in the world. While this line isn't delivered at a huge moment or anything like that, it does an important job of setting things up for the finale and establishing that Borgov isn't someone to take lightly.
The Final Line
"Let's Play."
At the end of the series, Beth is on her way to the airport to catch a flight back to the United States. But she stops the car, gets out, and decides to walk through Moscow alone.
At last, she comes to the place where she saw many elderly men playing chess in the park. They are awestruck to meet her and ask her for a game of chess. She accepts the offer, sits down, stares into the camera, and in Russian says, "Let's play." This is an apt way to end the series for her character.