Pledge party: 'trade rooks with, or whatever?'
The Apple Pi girls grill Beth about boys on the circuit and get a literal chess answer; the party moves on without her.
Beth Harmon's Best Moments
Every The Queen's Gambit moment featuring Beth Harmon, in story order. Played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
109 moments · 3h 01m · by Favseen
Moments 31–60 of 109
- 31
- 32
Townes finds Beth in Las Vegas
At the US Open Beth runs into Townes, now a chess journalist; he urges her to go world-class and invites her up for a photo.
- 33
Photo shoot in Townes's room: 'you've grown up, Harmon'
Townes photographs Beth by the window and over a board; the mood shifts as he tells her she has grown up and she asks his first name.
- 34
Roger walks in on Beth and Townes
The near-kiss is cut short when Townes's friend Roger lets himself into the room; the two retreat to a game of chess.
- 35
The one player who scares Beth
Beth recaps her Open wins and Benny Watts's legend to Alma, then admits the only name that frightens her is the Russian, Borgov.
- 36
Benny Watts: 'you shouldn't have castled'
The US Champion introduces himself and, from a printed game alone, points out the flaw in Beth's win over Beltik before walking off.
- 37
Beth loses to Benny: the exchange of queens
Beth narrates the final game move by move: the captured center pawn, the forced queen trade and the mating net she never saw coming.
- 38
Co-champion: Alma knows what losing feels like
Alma tries to frame the shared title as normal; Beth snaps that she knows nothing about chess, then brushes off Townes's goodbye.
- 39
Stoned Beth becomes 'Beth Nimrod' at a college party
Beth, high at a Russian-class party, trades deadpan lines with a student who has no idea who the US Open co-champion is.
- 40
Beth tells Alma she spent the night with a boy
Beth phones home to say she won't be back; Alma's worry turns into a wry warning about famous last words.
- 41
Graduation, a Bulova watch and an invitation to Paris
Alma gives Beth a graduation watch and learns the summer schedule: Mexico City, the US Championship, then Paris.
- 42
Alma confesses her Mexican pen pal Manuel
Over a beer on the plane, Alma admits she has been writing to a man in Mexico for years and he is meeting them at the airport.
- 43
Matt and Mike gossip about Alma's new friend
The twins greet Beth in Mexico City and bluntly sum up what Alma has been doing with the man in the green Dodge.
- 44
Alma blames the altitude, then the culture
Giddy in the hotel room, Alma philosophizes about Latin Catholics living in the here and now; Beth tells her to stop reading Alan Watts.
- 45
Alma tells Beth chess is not all there is
Beth insists she must study endgames before facing a grandmaster; Alma argues intuition can't be found in books and that she needs to relax.
- 46
Your gift and what it costs
At the hotel bar Beth hears a quiet warning about her anger, her time in the sun, and the price of her gift.
- 47
Radio report: Harmon crushes the field in Mexico City
A broadcaster narrates Beth's undefeated run while she recounts a mating net in 31 moves to a delighted Alma.
- 48
Alma on the balcony: it was fun while it lasted
Manuel has gone to Oaxaca for good; Alma puts on a brave face and asks Beth to dinner instead.
- 49
Five hours against a 13-year-old Soviet prodigy
Beth's marathon game with a young Soviet is adjourned; her opponent asks whether Americans really watch movies from their cars.
- 50
'I resign the old-fashioned way'
The prodigy tips his king, vows to be world champion by 16, and cannot grasp Beth's question about what comes after.
- 51
Alma plays piano for the hotel lounge
Beth finds her mother at the piano with an audience, stage fright forgotten, and the two decide to eat in the room.
- 52
The Soviets size up Beth in the elevator
Borgov's circle discusses how to deal with Harmon: an attacker, an orphan, a survivor for whom losing is not an option.
- 53
Beth vs Borgov: the Rossolimo
Matt and Mike talk the crowd through the opening as Borgov sidesteps Beth's Sicilian with a rare line; 'Borgov's not a machine' - 'That you know of.'
- 54
Beth recounts the loss, then finds Alma
Beth tells her mother the game felt like a foregone conclusion, Borgov's face showing no doubt and no weakness, before realizing Alma is not answering.
- 55
Hepatitis, possibly, and a significant liquor bill
A doctor offers sedatives and the hotel manager offers condolences while noting the many margaritas on the account.
- 56
Allston Wheatley washes his hands of Alma
Beth calls Denver with the news; Allston refuses to come, tells her to bury Alma in Kentucky and keep the house if she pays the mortgage.
- 57
Harry Beltik calls with condolences and an offer
Out of nowhere, Harry phones Beth about her loss to Borgov and offers to train her for the Soviets; she tells him to come over right now.
- 58
The gawky kid grew up: Harry's books are all old news
Harry arrives at the house with a stack of chess books and finds Beth has already read every one of them.
- 59
We're all prima donnas: anger as a potent spice
Beth says she plays by ear like Capablanca; Harry warns her stubborn anger narrows her vision and quotes his second grade teacher on spice.
- 60
Harry spent his tuition on new teeth
Beth can't work out what's different about Harry until he admits he fixed his teeth with his college money, and says it was worth it.