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.
S1E4 · Middle Game
18 moments · 24 min of essential viewing in a 49-minute episode.
Moments, in order
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
'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.
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.
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.
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.'
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.
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.
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.
Playlists touching this episode
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