AS he reviewed the first episode of the Netflix hit The Queen’s Gambit, International Master Roderick Nava had this to say about Beth Harmon’s playing style: “Si Harmon, gambitera e! Mahilig siya sa mga gambit-gambit. Gusto ng bakbakan kaagad sa opening.”
That makes sense. It’s in the title, after all.
The Queen’s Gambit is currently one of the most popular shows in Netflix. The seven-episode drama series made it into Netflix Philippines' Top 10 over the long holiday weekend.
Abroad, it is the number one Netflix show in the United States, and has been hailed by many publications as one of the best series of 2020.
Of course, since the show is all about chess, it’s interesting to hear how chess masters and grandmasters are reacting to the show.
Filipino International Master Roderick Nava — who, according to FIDE, is currently ranked 17th among all active players in the Philippines, and is no. 2,685 in the world — does just that in his YouTube channel, where he’s been regularly uploading chess videos over the past year.
Nava analyzes the show strictly from a chess perspective, zeroing in on the scenes where a board is shown. He breaks down what he calls the areglo, or the arrangement of pieces or quick moves briefly shown on the screen, and tries to reconstruct how the players got there.
“Ang challenge sa akin dito, papaano ko uugatin kung ano ang pinagmulan niyan?” he said as he pondered a scene where main character Beth Harmon (played by Anya Taylor-Joy as an adult and by Isla Johnston during the crucial childhood scenes in the first episode) checkmated the Black king with a pawn.
When he’s able to recreate the position, pointing out Harmon’s moves along the way, he commented, “Spectacular game!”
In his review of the first episode, Nava breaks down the young Harmon’s various games, including her first-ever one against her teacher, the janitor Mr. William Shaibel. In just a few moves, she loses to the infamous Scholar’s Mate.
Here's how Black would pull off the Scholar's Mate, in animated GIF form. (In the show, Mr. Shaibel played White.)
As Nava points out: “Wag niyo pong gagawin [ang Scholar's Mate]. [Para lang] sa mga bata yan a, sa mga nagsisimula pa lang. Kasi yang queen f3 na yan ay tirang, kumbaga... 'pag hindi nakita, maganda. Pero pag nakita, lugi ka.”
The Scholar’s Mate, after all, pushes your queen out too early. A simple blocking move by a knight will close off the threat, paving the way for your opponent's other knight to take center position on the board.
Nava added: “Magkakadeha-dehado ang development ng puti dahil hindi agad nilalabas ang queen hangga’t maaari.”
He also gives tips for beginners throughout the episode. As he analyzes Harmon’s second game against Mr. Shaibel, he points out elementary mistakes that you should not repeat in your chess game, especially with the development of your pieces. Especially the queen.
He repeats the very good chess advice: Never bring out your queen too early.
When he reconstructs the first episode's various chess games, he also gives viewers the opportunity to pause the video and try to figure out the best move.
In one scene, young Beth tells his opponent Mr. Ganz that she’ll checkmate him in three moves. Nava arranges the onscreen chess board as it’s seen on the show, and challenges the viewers to figure out how.
Nava also clarifies some of the moves demoed on the show. For example, the Sicilian Defense that Shaibel teaches the nine-year-old Harmon is, more specifically, the unconventional Sicilian, Dragon, Levenfish Variation. He then goes into a thorough, five-minute explanation of the theory and outcomes that spring out of the Levenfish Variation.
“Simula pa lang, kaguluhan na kaagad ang gustong gawin ng Levenfish Variation,” he explained.
Speaking of positions, he also noted that the very first chess position shown in the series was the Queen’s Gambit declined opening.
Makes sense, given the title.
Nava is committed to reviewing every episode of the series. So far, he’s up to Episode 3. If you want to learn more about chess after watching every episode, check out his channel here.
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