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The New Coffee Room

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  3. The Queen's Gambit on Netflix

The Queen's Gambit on Netflix

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  • D Offline
    D Offline
    Doctor Phibes
    wrote on 24 Nov 2020, 16:14 last edited by Doctor Phibes
    #4

    Professional chess has changed a lot, too. Back in Fischer's day, when this is set, it was a game primarily played by these ancient looking Soviet characters, with a few exceptions - massive eyebrows, scary demeanor. Even in the 1980's and 90's, when Karpov and Kasparov were playing, it really looked very Eastern European.

    Now, all the top players have Twitter accounts, and are really products of the modern era. There's only a couple of Russians in the top 10, (and one of those has a freaking man-bun!). Magnus Carlsen, the top player in the world (and possibly ever) is still only 30, but became the highest ranked player at only 19 years of age.

    I was only joking

    T 1 Reply Last reply 24 Nov 2020, 16:17
    • D Doctor Phibes
      24 Nov 2020, 16:14

      Professional chess has changed a lot, too. Back in Fischer's day, when this is set, it was a game primarily played by these ancient looking Soviet characters, with a few exceptions - massive eyebrows, scary demeanor. Even in the 1980's and 90's, when Karpov and Kasparov were playing, it really looked very Eastern European.

      Now, all the top players have Twitter accounts, and are really products of the modern era. There's only a couple of Russians in the top 10, (and one of those has a freaking man-bun!). Magnus Carlsen, the top player in the world (and possibly ever) is still only 30, but became the highest ranked player at only 19 years of age.

      T Offline
      T Offline
      taiwan_girl
      wrote on 24 Nov 2020, 16:17 last edited by
      #5

      @Doctor-Phibes Actually have his chess game. I think I mentioned this before, but it allows you to play him at different ages of his life. I think once he became about eight years old, I was never able to beat him!!

      1 Reply Last reply
      • D Doctor Phibes
        24 Nov 2020, 15:00

        Anybody else watch it?

        As a chess dork, I read the book when it was published back in the 1980's. Probably the best novel about chess, and definitely the best TV series/movie. They still play way too quickly, but it's good fun. Haven't watched it all yet.

        There are some parallels with Bobby Fischer, although she's clearly not fully based on him.

        A Offline
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        Aqua Letifer
        wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 04:09 last edited by
        #6

        @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

        Anybody else watch it?

        It's SJW as fuck.

        Please love yourself.

        D 1 Reply Last reply 26 Nov 2020, 12:58
        • A Aqua Letifer
          26 Nov 2020, 04:09

          @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

          Anybody else watch it?

          It's SJW as fuck.

          D Offline
          D Offline
          Doctor Phibes
          wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 12:58 last edited by Doctor Phibes
          #7

          @Aqua-Letifer said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

          @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

          Anybody else watch it?

          It's SJW as fuck.

          So is chess.

          Are you honestly complaining about having strong female leads in TV shows?

          I was only joking

          C A 2 Replies Last reply 26 Nov 2020, 13:57
          • D Doctor Phibes
            26 Nov 2020, 12:58

            @Aqua-Letifer said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

            @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

            Anybody else watch it?

            It's SJW as fuck.

            So is chess.

            Are you honestly complaining about having strong female leads in TV shows?

            C Offline
            C Offline
            Copper
            wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 13:57 last edited by Copper
            #8

            @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

            @Aqua-Letifer said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

            @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

            Anybody else watch it?

            It's SJW as fuck.

            So is chess.

            Are you honestly complaining about having strong female leads in TV shows?

            Look at me! I'm a female lead!

            That became dated several decades ago.

            For example, OK for Ms. Ferraro, not so much for Ms. Palin.

            You have your own cigarette now baby!

            1 Reply Last reply
            • D Doctor Phibes
              26 Nov 2020, 12:58

              @Aqua-Letifer said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

              @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

              Anybody else watch it?

              It's SJW as fuck.

              So is chess.

              Are you honestly complaining about having strong female leads in TV shows?

              A Offline
              A Offline
              Aqua Letifer
              wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 16:29 last edited by Aqua Letifer
              #9

              @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

              Are you honestly complaining about having strong female leads in TV shows?

              Yeah, Cathy Newman, that's obviously my beef.

              The characters, broken down by gender:

              WOMEN
              Beth Harmon - protagonist. Notice that all her issues are imposed on her by the world. Society (in her case, male-dominated society) is to blame for most of her inner demons.
              Alice Harmon - eh, she had schizophrenia but she meant well. You're supposed to feel sorry for her.
              Miss Lonsdale - she means well.
              Helen Deardorff - she means well.
              Jolene - well she's female and black, so of course she's got to be the well-meaning street-wise badass.

              MEN
              Harry Beltik - White guy. Dick.
              The entire high school chess club - All white guys. All dicks.
              Mr. Wheatley - White guy. Dick.
              Matt and Mike - White guys. Dicks (initially).
              Mr. Shaibel - White guy dick with a heart o' gold! (Due to the last name, maybe?)
              Townes - White guy, not a dick. What gives? Ah, okay, ambiguous sexuality. Got it.
              Mr. Fergusson - Black guy, so, less of a dick. Also let's have him quote some King Lear stuff to elevate black folks a little. (The actor's so good that this came off as normal, but in light of the rest of this list, I absolutely wonder about the writers' motivations. No other side character has an endearing quirk that implies they're more than they seem.)

              The show gets a bit of a pass because at times it does break the formula, and in all fairness I don't know how much of this is due to chess in the 60s, and how much is due to TV scriptwriting in 2020.

              But I mean come on. By going by race and gender alone, you can guess whether a character's an ally or a stumbling block and be right far more often than not.

              Please love yourself.

              1 Reply Last reply
              • D Offline
                D Offline
                Doctor Phibes
                wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 17:05 last edited by Doctor Phibes
                #10

                You haven't spent much time at chess clubs, clearly 🙂

                I was only joking

                A 1 Reply Last reply 26 Nov 2020, 17:09
                • D Doctor Phibes
                  26 Nov 2020, 17:05

                  You haven't spent much time at chess clubs, clearly 🙂

                  A Offline
                  A Offline
                  Aqua Letifer
                  wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 17:09 last edited by
                  #11

                  @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

                  You haven't spent much time at chess clubs, clearly.

                  Entirely fair. But I have spent time around housewives, janitors, and businessmen who travel. In the real world, good people and bad people don't fit so nicely into racial boxes.

                  Please love yourself.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  • D Offline
                    D Offline
                    Doctor Phibes
                    wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 17:12 last edited by Doctor Phibes
                    #12

                    My semi-joking point was that chess clubs are pretty much filled with white guys acting like dicks.

                    It's a funny game. When I played at the weekend tournaments there could be literally no females, out of a population of a couple of hundred players. That's changed a bit, now, but it's still a weird game.

                    The idea of a really strong female chess player was an odd one back in the early 80's when the book was written. People have said the character was based a little on Judit Polgar, but the book actually predates her.

                    I was only joking

                    A 1 Reply Last reply 26 Nov 2020, 17:19
                    • D Doctor Phibes
                      26 Nov 2020, 17:12

                      My semi-joking point was that chess clubs are pretty much filled with white guys acting like dicks.

                      It's a funny game. When I played at the weekend tournaments there could be literally no females, out of a population of a couple of hundred players. That's changed a bit, now, but it's still a weird game.

                      The idea of a really strong female chess player was an odd one back in the early 80's when the book was written. People have said the character was based a little on Judit Polgar, but the book actually predates her.

                      A Offline
                      A Offline
                      Aqua Letifer
                      wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 17:19 last edited by
                      #13

                      @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

                      The idea of a really strong female chess player was an odd one back in the early 80's when the book was written. People have said the character was based a little on Judit Polgar, but the book actually predates her.

                      I'm absolutely down with the premise. As you said, it'd be a rarity. My issue's not with that but rather every other plot decision that seems to be motivated by politics more than good storytelling. Is the book like that, too? I'm guessing it isn't.

                      Please love yourself.

                      D 1 Reply Last reply 26 Nov 2020, 17:48
                      • A Aqua Letifer
                        26 Nov 2020, 17:19

                        @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

                        The idea of a really strong female chess player was an odd one back in the early 80's when the book was written. People have said the character was based a little on Judit Polgar, but the book actually predates her.

                        I'm absolutely down with the premise. As you said, it'd be a rarity. My issue's not with that but rather every other plot decision that seems to be motivated by politics more than good storytelling. Is the book like that, too? I'm guessing it isn't.

                        D Offline
                        D Offline
                        Doctor Phibes
                        wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 17:48 last edited by
                        #14

                        @Aqua-Letifer said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

                        @Doctor-Phibes said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

                        The idea of a really strong female chess player was an odd one back in the early 80's when the book was written. People have said the character was based a little on Judit Polgar, but the book actually predates her.

                        I'm absolutely down with the premise. As you said, it'd be a rarity. My issue's not with that but rather every other plot decision that seems to be motivated by politics more than good storytelling. Is the book like that, too? I'm guessing it isn't.

                        It's over 30 years since I read it, but I don't remember it being like that. What I remember about the book is that it stood out due to its more realistic depiction of chess than is common.

                        I was only joking

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        • A Offline
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                          Aqua Letifer
                          wrote on 26 Nov 2020, 17:49 last edited by
                          #15

                          That's what I heard, too. Put it on my list as I hadn't heard of it until after the show came out.

                          Please love yourself.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          • George KG Offline
                            George KG Offline
                            George K
                            wrote on 12 Mar 2021, 22:33 last edited by
                            #16

                            Binged through it in the last few day.

                            It was great from a cinematographic standpoint. Costumes and sets were wonderful. I didn't find it all that preachy. I did find it, at times, a bit too soapy, starting with the premise: Orphaned girl whose mother kills herself grows up to be chess grandmaster after defeating multiple (male) opponents.

                            Fun to watch, but I won't revisit it.

                            "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                            The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                            D 1 Reply Last reply 13 Mar 2021, 02:29
                            • George KG George K
                              12 Mar 2021, 22:33

                              Binged through it in the last few day.

                              It was great from a cinematographic standpoint. Costumes and sets were wonderful. I didn't find it all that preachy. I did find it, at times, a bit too soapy, starting with the premise: Orphaned girl whose mother kills herself grows up to be chess grandmaster after defeating multiple (male) opponents.

                              Fun to watch, but I won't revisit it.

                              D Offline
                              D Offline
                              Doctor Phibes
                              wrote on 13 Mar 2021, 02:29 last edited by
                              #17

                              @george-k said in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix:

                              It was great from a cinematographic standpoint. Costumes and sets were wonderful. I didn't find it all that preachy. I did find it, at times, a bit too soapy, starting with the premise: Orphaned girl whose mother kills herself grows up to be chess grandmaster after defeating multiple (male) opponents.

                              Oddly enough, a number of real chess grandmasters had quite strange childhoods. Not quite growing up in an orphanage stuff, but both Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov had no father growing up, for different reasons, and both had mothers with exceptionally strong personalities.

                              Also, as you might expect, the number of top chess players with mental health conditions isn't exactly vanishingly small.

                              I was only joking

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              • bachophileB Offline
                                bachophileB Offline
                                bachophile
                                wrote on 13 Mar 2021, 05:25 last edited by
                                #18

                                Book was better. I saw it before the series.

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