The Queen’s Gambit is Full of Symbols for Success
Each of us plays a role in each other's lives. Use me any time you want to.
One of my favorite songs is “All Good People” by Yes. A magnificent tune full of symbolism and that an also catchy refrain. The song turns the challenge of life into a chess game with sordid advice:
“Make the white queen run so fast/She hasn’t got time to make you a wife.”
The game of chess has been used for centuries as a metaphor in culture and science. The most-watched scripted mini-series in Netflix history, The Queen’s Gambit, joins the list, offering up a board full of characters all taking their positions in the game of our hero’s life.
This intriguing story has a basic plot line. An orphaned school girl gets hooked on drugs and somehow becomes a chess prodigy. Oh, but like a well-played chess match, this story finds its victories in the lavish plays of the strategic placement of symbols in her story arc. There are signs left by the roadside (literally) and characters who appear in the show at pivotal moments to give themselves up like pawns on the black and white squares of life. Setting a lesson for us all on what it takes to succeed.
The Queens Gambit is a treasure trove of deep symbiotic relationships. Our hero, Beth Harmon, is surrounded by rooks and certain knights in shining armor. Take the show’s true mentor and guiding light. The subdued janitor, Mr. Shaibel. He plays chess alone in the basement of the orphanage. Crushed of will to move on after the apparent suicide of her mother. He vanishes from the storyline after co-starring status for a near three episodes. So the pawn who opens to queen 3 is checkmated out of the show but not without playing a pivotal role. Besides a short flashback later in the series, his part, like our own earliest teachers in life, is used up. He indeed is a force for good, but thus, can not last. So often we experience this in our own lives. A formative mentor stays with us emotionally if not literally throughout our life.
Then there is the storyline of the opposition reflected in the stalking of the opponent’s queen. In this case, Harmon’s struggle with the woman in charge of the orphanage, Helen Deardorff. When our hero finally has a chance to remove her from the board by making her presence known when she returns to the orphanage as a conquering champion, she simply acknowledges the queen’s position and ignores her, knowing full well that she is not the prize. The championship is not won by taking the most versatile player off the board, but rather is all focused on the taking of the King. Or as Yes sings,
“Just remember that the goal/is for all us to capture all we want.”
The lesson is to remain focused on the end game. Don’t get hobbled by the thoughts and opinions of others.
On the good guy side of the board (white, of course) lies Beth’s defense. We see she is followed and supported by a cast of stately figures who mostly protect her. She is the king in this metaphor. Playing the two bishops are Townes are Harry Beltik, the knights of Benny Watts and Cleo and their entourage of pawns all are there to keep the king alive. Willing to do what’s necessary even if dying emotionally is called for. We need others in our lives to provide support, emotionally and otherwise.
On the corners of Harmon’s life are the rock-solid rooks who extend Beth's emotional support. There is Jolene, her lifelong friend from the orphanage as well as her adoptive Mom, Alma, who appears to perform a “castle” with Beth. The acclaimed move in chess when a king’s position is transposed with a rook in an attempt to reposition one’s defense when under siege. Beth seems to be almost useless during their initial stint together and it is only after a crater hits their relationship that Alma performs a vital role in Beth’s ascension to greatness. Alma’s dramatic turn as Beth’s manager transforms the distracted champion just as she seems to be descending to defeat. How important are our loved ones in our game of life? A change of scenery or a temporary absence from someone we care about can lead to renewed hope and vital companionship.
On the black side of the board are all the prerequisite pieces. The king is the Russian and World Champion Vasily Borgov. It’s in pursuit of toppling him that our prodigy finds her motivation and reason for being. There are plenty of other pieces standing in Harmon’s way. A few, she ignores for the bigger prize, as she does with the black queen Deardorff. Others end up being necessary pawns that fall to her expertise like Georgi Girev the 13-year-old prodigy that Harmon sees as a reflection of herself. Later, she masterfully takes on the dark knights of her past -her two fathers, birth and adoptive- on her way to conquering her demons. Overcoming life’s obstacles- a paramount lesson that we all must accept as part of the game of life.
I’ve seen all good people turn their heads each day
So satisfied I’m on my way
Like The Queen’s Gambit, life is a cycle of allies and enemies. Of people on your side willing to do what they have to, to promote your success while there will always be the dark side pushing against you intentionally or through their own self incompetencies. It doesn't matter. What matters is if you can overcome yourself (as Harmon does numerous times) and the opposition in pursuit of your ultimate goal-personal satisfaction.
