What Beth Harmon Got Right (and Wrong) About Real Chess

Beth Harmon may be fictional, but her presence hit the chess world like a real-world queen sacrifice. What The Queen’s Gambit got right was the intensity — the silence, the pressure, the way the board swallows your entire mind. Her tactical brilliance, psychological edge, and emotional rollercoaster reflect what many players feel, even if we don’t all see the ceiling spin. The show nailed the tournament atmosphere too — from the nerves before a match to the quiet tension when you know you just blundered.

But it wasn’t all accurate. Most prodigies don’t rise to the top by studying alone in silence; real progress usually takes coaches, teammates, and years of grind. And while her addiction storyline added drama, it also romanticized a path that’s dangerous and tragic in real life. Still, Beth inspired a generation — including me — to take chess more seriously. She reminded me that even in fiction, the love for the game is real.