The Queens Gambit (Netflix)

[TheNinja]

I don't know anything about chess so I'll probably pass.

 

[Bacco]

Seeing Jojen Reed from GoT playing a charming and cool guy was weird.

On reality i thought he played that great, he's a nerd like others but he's a superstar of that world wich give him immense confidence boost
His awkward idea of "cool" with the indiana jones style and ,underground cellar apartament truly complete the look, it works because you see him the whole time swim in the chess community world

Only part where they truly jumped the shark was him telling the nerd interviewer to train to stay in shape (to be cool) when the actor himself have barely the muscles to lift chess pieces without a stuntman.
But again on second thought, also that part can easily be considered as part of his "cool king of chess" ego trip

 

[Lights Out 101]

I don't know anything about chess so I'll probably pass.

I know jackshit about chess but the show is still worth watching

 

[sirtapsalot]

Why though? That’s a good way to deprive yourself of some quality shows.

.


honestly the only shows/movies I have ever really enjoyed with a female lead is the alien franchise and porn. They just dont hit home with me

 

[n...not crazy]

I tried. 3 episodes but I just can't take it anymore.

Idk how to call it... hammy? I mean how did she get so good without playing competitively at all. She just goes in and mows everyone down. Mary sue, anyone? I know, she has a crutch or two with drugs. But she is Rey from Star Wars essentially. Just amazingly good and never loses. Chess is a long term grind, even for guys like Fischer and Magnus. But not for her.

I just can't get a real feel for any character in this entire show, except maybe the janitor but he's gone now. Everyone is just so damned 1 dimensional and phony. Hey I'm stupid old fashioned guy who doubts the ladies. Hey I wear a funny hat and play chess. Hey I'm an asshole alpha dad.

Come at me sherbros

 

[SaiWa]

I tried. 3 episodes but I just can't take it anymore.

Idk how to call it... hammy? I mean how did she get so good without playing competitively at all. She just goes in and mows everyone down. Mary sue, anyone? I know, she has a crutch or two with drugs. But she is Rey from Star Wars essentially. Just amazingly good and never loses. Chess is a long term grind, even for guys like Fischer and Magnus. But not for her.

I just can't get a real feel for any character in this entire show, except maybe the janitor but he's gone now. Everyone is just so damned 1 dimensional and phony. Hey I'm stupid old fashioned guy who doubts the ladies. Hey I wear a funny hat and play chess. Hey I'm an asshole alpha dad.

Come at me sherbros

You simply do not understand how amazing true Chess prodigies are.

Paul Morphy, Jose Raul Capablanca, Bobby Fischer are some Chess GOATS who learned on their own at a very young age.

Morphy learned watching others play and his family realized his potential when he showed his father and uncle that one of them should have won instead of the game being drawn. Then he resetted the pieces and showed them how his uncles missed the win. By the age of 9 he was unbeatable in his own city. By 12 he was spanking chess masters.

Capablanca learned chess on his own by also watching his father play. He was good enough to beat his father at the age of 4. By the age of 12 he was able to beat the Cuban Chess Champion (Juan Corzo).

Bobby Fischer learned chess on his own when he was 6 years old - his only aid was a book of old chess games. Two years later he played an exhibition match with a former Scottish champion and was able to impress the Brooklyn Chess Club President and he personally tutored Bobby Fischer afterwards.

And the main character did not get good without help. She was tutored by a janitor who was strong at chess and was given chess books to learn from. She was tested by a high school chess teacher who made he play against high school kids in simultaneous games. She had plenty of chess knowledge by the time she started competing seriously and her natural talents took over. Spanking regional or state champions wouldn't be a stress of the imagination for a true chess prodigy with training.

And she lost to Watts at the end of the 3rd episode no? So she did not mow down everyone.

 

[n...not crazy]

You simply do not understand how amazing true Chess prodigies are.

Paul Morphy, Jose Raul Capablanca, Bobby Fischer are some Chess GOATS who learned on their own at a very young age.

Morphy learned watching others play and his family realized his potential when he showed his father and uncle that one of them should have won instead of the game being drawn. Then he resetted the pieces and showed them how his uncles missed the win. By the age of 9 he was unbeatable in his own city. By 12 he was spanking chess masters.

Capablanca learned chess on his own by also watching his father play. He was good enough to beat his father at the age of 4. By the age of 12 he was able to beat the Cuban Chess Champion (Juan Corzo).

Bobby Fischer learned chess on his own when he was 6 years old - his only aid was a book of old chess games. Two years later he played an exhibition match with a former Scottish champion and was able to impress the Brooklyn Chess Club President and he personally tutored Bobby Fischer afterwards.

And the main character did not get good without help. She was tutored by a janitor who was strong at chess and was given chess books to learn from. She was tested by a high school chess teacher who made he play against high school kids in simultaneous games. She had plenty of chess knowledge by the time she started competing seriously and her natural talents took over. Spanking regional or state champions wouldn't be a stress of the imagination for a true chess prodigy with training.

Oh hush. I've been playing and following for 35 frickin years. I've got shelves full of chess books. I was reading My System when you were, well, i don't frickin know what you were doing. Just take it easy there captain. This bitch has lost 1 competitive game so far. It's ridiculous. People acting like she's Rickson Gracie or something. 400-0 right? Whatever

 

[SaiWa]

Oh hush. I've been playing and following for 35 frickin years. I've got shelves full of chess books. I was reading My System when you were, well, i don't frickin know what you were doing. Just take it easy there captain. This bitch has lost 1 competitive game so far. It's ridiculous. People acting like she's Rickson Gracie or something. 400-0 right? Whatever

Is she playing against amazing players? Local city and state champions? Why is it surprising for a chess prodigy to be destroying low tier players?

and the drugs were helping her play better btw.

 

[n...not crazy]

Is she playing against amazing players? Local city and state champions? Why is it surprising for a chess prodigy to be destroying low tier players?

I'm not doing this.
Enjoy the show sir or madam, whichever the case may be.

 

[Swing]

I tried. 3 episodes but I just can't take it anymore.

Idk how to call it... hammy? I mean how did she get so good without playing competitively at all. She just goes in and mows everyone down. Mary sue, anyone? I know, she has a crutch or two with drugs. But she is Rey from Star Wars essentially. Just amazingly good and never loses. Chess is a long term grind, even for guys like Fischer and Magnus. But not for her.

I just can't get a real feel for any character in this entire show, except maybe the janitor but he's gone now. Everyone is just so damned 1 dimensional and phony. Hey I'm stupid old fashioned guy who doubts the ladies. Hey I wear a funny hat and play chess. Hey I'm an asshole alpha dad.

Come at me sherbros

My guess is they didn't want to focus on that at the expense of other things that they wanted to fit in. It is only 7 episodes. Kasparov and Bruce Pandolfini were advisers on the show so I'm sure it's not something that the producers simply overlooked.

 

[SaiWa]

I'm not doing this.
Enjoy the show sir or madam, whichever the case may be.

really? so what was the point of this:

Come at me sherbros

All of you've done is simply point out that even with all your chess experience you will never understand what it is to be a chess prodigy. The story is about one. The fictional achievements she achieved in the series aren't unheard of or even more impressive than what real chess prodigies such as Capablanca, Morphy or Fischer have accomplished...

 

[method115]

Oh hush. I've been playing and following for 35 frickin years. I've got shelves full of chess books. I was reading My System when you were, well, i don't frickin know what you were doing. Just take it easy there captain. This bitch has lost 1 competitive game so far. It's ridiculous. People acting like she's Rickson Gracie or something. 400-0 right? Whatever

I haven't watched the show but it is a tv show. Sounds like you are taking this to seriously. I mean even the complaint you bring up doesn't even seem like a big deal. Her w\l record is what's really bothering you about this show? Seems like your to heavily invested in the topic to just sit back and enjoy it.

 

[n...not crazy]

My guess is they didn't want to focus on that at the expense of other things that they wanted to fit in. It is only 7 episodes. Kasparov and Bruce Pandolfini were advisers on the show so I'm sure it's not something that the producers simply overlooked.

It's only 1 montage to fit in. Here she is, playing game after game. She loses in the Najdorf... goes home and studies it some more. Comes back and wins. Setbacks, improvements, learning... cool montage. 90 seconds.

I haven't watched the show but it is a tv show. Sounds like you are taking this to seriously. I mean even the complaint you bring up doesn't even seem like a big deal. Her w\l record is what's really bothering you about this show? Seems like your to heavily invested in the topic to just sit back and enjoy it.

I get it. And I am a pain in the ass when it comes to TV shows. I'm too old and grumpy, and I've seen just about everything on a screen. Including Mary Sues.
But I have no investment in the characters. Like I said she doesn't seem like a person. She is not human or relatable in any way after 3 episodes. She gets relocated to a foster family and has zero reaction at any point. She's like a robot. Wait... is that the twist? Ash is a god damned robot?

I know I know, I'm in the minority. It's ok.

 

[minute bull]

Enjoy the show sir or madam, whichever the case may be.

lol I wasn't with you on the Rey comparison but this one's very decent.

 

[n...not crazy]

really? so what was the point of this:



All of you've done is simply point out that even with all your chess experience you will never understand what it is to be a chess prodigy. The story is about one. The fictional achievements she achieved in the series aren't unheard of or even more impressive than what real chess prodigies such as Capablanca, Morphy or Fischer have accomplished...

You're being douchey

 

[method115]

I get it. And I am a pain in the ass when it comes to TV shows. I'm too old and grumpy, and I've seen just about everything on a screen. Including Mary Sues.
But I have no investment in the characters. Like I said she doesn't seem like a person. She is not human or relatable in any way after 3 episodes. She gets relocated to a foster family and has zero reaction at any point. She's like a robot. Wait... is that the twist? Ash is a god damned robot?

I know I know, I'm in the minority. It's ok.

That's funny cause that's what my wife says about me that I'm a robot. When this chick broke up with me my friend said "I'd ask if your ok but robots don't have feelings.".

Either way I get it. I'm the same way with reality shows. My wife gets pissed and pauses the show to give me my ten mins of non stop shit talking about whatever it is she's watching.

 

[n...not crazy]

That's funny cause that's what my wife says about me that I'm a robot. When this chick broke up with me my friend said "I'd ask if your ok but robots don't have feelings.".

Either way I get it. I'm the same way with reality shows. My wife gets pissed and pauses the show to give me my ten mins of non stop shit talking about whatever it is she's watching.

I am known around here as stoneface, hee hee. My wife is enjoying the show. Maybe if I really grit my teeth I can finish the last 4 episodes. Maybe Beth will stub her toe at some point and I'll join her in her journey.

 

[SaiWa]

I haven't watched the show but it is a tv show. Sounds like you are taking this to seriously. I mean even the complaint you bring up doesn't even seem like a big deal. Her w\l record is what's really bothering you about this show? Seems like your to heavily invested in the topic to just sit back and enjoy it.

He has no idea how amazingly talented true chess prodigies are. Practically all them have photographic memories - able to recall passages or details from their favorite book at will. All of them can play blindfolded chess with multiple opponents. Magnus Carlsen (the current world champion) supposedly memorized the population size, capital and flag of all 200 countries in the world and then all the same stats for all 400+ municipalities for his home country Norway at the age of 5 because he wanted to.

The gulf in talent that exist between chess prodigies (or any prodigies for anything else) and everyone else is gigantic.

 

[SaiWa]

You're being douchey

How am I being douchey? you stated something and you asked people to come at it as if you wanted a debate.

Now you're shrinking like a flower in the middle of winter cause you got what you asked for?...

 

[Swing]

It's only 1 montage to fit in. Here she is, playing game after game. She loses in the Najdorf... goes home and studies it some more. Comes back and wins. Setbacks, improvements, learning... cool montage. 90 seconds.

She loses to the Janitor and we see her studying the game in her head. I don't see how a quick montage does significantly more in that regard. At most it addresses something minor (the issue you have with how well she plays against people once she's already learned to play) but does nothing to advance her character. We already know that she gets angry when she loses and doesn't handle it well. That point is handled through more meaningful character development later.