The Queen's Gambit

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis was originally published on February 5, 1983, by Random House. The novel is a work of literary fiction and follows the orphan chess prodigy Beth Harmon as she rises in the chess community and struggles with substance use issues on her way to defeating the Russian grandmaster Vasily Borgov. Though the book was published decades ago, it is one of many currently popular novels focusing on chess, like Ali Hazelwood’s Check & Mate. Parallels exist between Walter Tevis’s life and that of Beth Harmon, as the author had an alcohol use disorder and lived for a time in Kentucky, where the novel is set. The novel follows themes of moving From Self-Doubt to Self-Reliance, Substance Use as a Response to Anxiety, and The Constraints of Gender Norms, as Beth struggles to carve out a place as a woman in a male-dominated community. This novel was adapted into a Netflix seven-episode miniseries in 2020, starring Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon.

This guide references the 2003 paperback First Vintage Contemporaries Edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss alcohol and substance use disorder.