Fiction

The Queen's Gambit

The Queen's Gambit

  • Downloads：3028
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-27 06:54:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Walter Tevis
  • ISBN：1400030609
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Summary

When she is sent to an orphanage at the age of eight， Beth Harmon soon discovers two ways to escape her surroundings， albeit fleetingly: playing chess and taking the little green pills given to her and the other children to keep them subdued。 Before long， it becomes apparent that hers is a prodigious talent， and as she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings she is able to forge a new life for herself。 But she can never quite overcome her urge to self-destruct。 For Beth， there’s more at stake than merely winning and losing。

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Reviews

Bryana ，

Definitely a favorite！

Geenah ，

Coming out of this one with mixed feelings。 On the one hand， I enjoyed Beth's journey into both adulthood and as an international grandmaster in chess。 As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated profession， I related to a lot of the patronizing bullshit Beth had to put up with。 I too have wished to be seen as a professional instead of a woman in my profession。 I think it was well portrayed。 I also thought the interactions between Beth and her male colleagues was pretty realistic， but I wish th Coming out of this one with mixed feelings。 On the one hand， I enjoyed Beth's journey into both adulthood and as an international grandmaster in chess。 As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated profession， I related to a lot of the patronizing bullshit Beth had to put up with。 I too have wished to be seen as a professional instead of a woman in my profession。 I think it was well portrayed。 I also thought the interactions between Beth and her male colleagues was pretty realistic， but I wish they had been further explored。 While I did not want them to be developed romantically， I do think it's very realistic that these seemingly well-intentioned male colleagues men acknowledge Beth's talent and offer to help her train， only to eventually sexualize her and become disenchanted with her when her talent grows to exceed their own。 To their credit， Beltik and Watts genuinely do help her train。 While I've never been romantically involved with a male colleague， I have worked with some who have taken the paternalistic role of "showing me the ropes" only to become resentful when the quality of my work eventually exceeds their own。 In short， I do think that Tevis， despite being a man himself， was able to accurately portray some of the bullshit women have to put up with when entering a male-dominated environment。 I absolutely related to a lot of the career-related issues Beth had to go through， especially with her desire to be taken seriously and resenting the expectation of having to "break the glass ceiling。"On the other hand， the writing was mostly stilted and matter-of-fact。 It was very dry in the way it told Beth's story， which sometimes made it hard to gauge her feelings or reactions to certain events。 Unless the writing explicitly said "Beth did not like it" or "Beth hated him，" the reader has no idea what is going on through Beth's mind。 As such， I found Beth's characterization to be kind of weak as， for the most part， I had no idea what was going through her head。 The most telling part of her characterization came through with her substance abuse。 You knew Beth feared to be alone because the moment she was she would go on benders。 You see， this is good characterization， but in my opinion it had to be accompanied with something else。 It wasn't until the last chapter that I realized that Tevis' prose reminded me of John Grisham's The Last Juror because everything related to character development was told instead of shown; however， this style of prose benefited the chess scenes。 As far as the chess scenes were concerned， I had 0 idea of what was going on， but despite my inexperience with chess， I could feel the emotions elicited by the plays and the weight of each move。 It was exactly what happened in The Last Juror where everything was drab and matter-of-fact until Grisham wrote the procedure of a court scene in a way that was genuinely engaging。 I overall had a good time with this book。 I picked it up and had trouble putting it down at times and look forward to watching the Netflix mini series。 。。。more

Dara Mohamed ，

حلوة ك مسلسل مش ك رواية

Katie ，

I haven't seen the TV series and I'm not sure if I will。 The book was free on Kindle Unlimited so I gave it a shot and finished it in under 24 hours。 Effortlessly engaging storytelling - I can imagine why people enjoyed the series so much。 The last few chapters didn't quite push the envelope as much as I would have liked but overall， an enjoyable read。 I haven't seen the TV series and I'm not sure if I will。 The book was free on Kindle Unlimited so I gave it a shot and finished it in under 24 hours。 Effortlessly engaging storytelling - I can imagine why people enjoyed the series so much。 The last few chapters didn't quite push the envelope as much as I would have liked but overall， an enjoyable read。 。。。more

Kelsey ，

A great story about growth in such a short amount of time。 Some parts are slower than others but it builds suspense and excitement for the next chapter in our main characters life。

Annabelle Gong ，

Loved this book so much， great writing and a great story。 Watching the Netflix show next！

idalia ，

C U D O W N E！！！naprawdę nie sądziłam， że książka o czymś o czym właściwie w ogóle się nie znam będzie taka cudowna。 Jest ona napisana w taki sposób， że mimo że nie rozumiałam tych wszystkich "sekfencji szachowych" to i tak było to bardzo przyjemne。Po tej książce， mam po porostu niesamowita ochotę znowu obejrzeć serial C U D O W N E！！！naprawdę nie sądziłam， że książka o czymś o czym właściwie w ogóle się nie znam będzie taka cudowna。 Jest ona napisana w taki sposób， że mimo że nie rozumiałam tych wszystkich "sekfencji szachowych" to i tak było to bardzo przyjemne。Po tej książce， mam po porostu niesamowita ochotę znowu obejrzeć serial 。。。more

Leann Tulisiak ，

Review disclaimer: Honestly- I am not sure why I picked up this book。 I am not a huge chess fan， nor do I understand the idiosyncrasies and complexities of the game。 I had heard good things about the book as well as the Netflix TV series so I figured it was worth a listen/read。I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book。 Did I fully understand what was going on during the chess matches？ No。 Was I intrigued and held in suspense during each match， curious as to the outcome and how it would affect Review disclaimer: Honestly- I am not sure why I picked up this book。 I am not a huge chess fan， nor do I understand the idiosyncrasies and complexities of the game。 I had heard good things about the book as well as the Netflix TV series so I figured it was worth a listen/read。I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book。 Did I fully understand what was going on during the chess matches？ No。 Was I intrigued and held in suspense during each match， curious as to the outcome and how it would affect Beth’s confidence and relationships？ Yes。 I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and think I will look for other books by Tevis （maybe less niche and/or more up my alley than chess） in the future。 I am still quite surprised this book held my interest as well as it did， but there were points that felt repetitive and/or that I could have sworn described the same exact game。 Another complaint is that there were so many references to “The Sicilian” without any thorough explanation as to what this strategy entails。 I think it would have been helpful to give a brief overview to some of the more common strategies used in the book so that the reader could be more immersed in the story without having to stop and look up chess strategies （which would have been even more difficult at the time of the original publication-in the 80s！） 。。。more

Phil Gould ，

I didn't know this book existed until I watched the limited series on Netflix。 I usually like to read the book first so I can make up my own movie but that was not the way it worked out。 Fortunately， the series followed the book very well， except for making a couple of unnecessary additions that I found offensive。 I heard that sales of chess sets increased dramatically thanks to the Netflix series and I have to admit that it inspired me to reconnect with the chess I had abandoned many years ago。 I didn't know this book existed until I watched the limited series on Netflix。 I usually like to read the book first so I can make up my own movie but that was not the way it worked out。 Fortunately， the series followed the book very well， except for making a couple of unnecessary additions that I found offensive。 I heard that sales of chess sets increased dramatically thanks to the Netflix series and I have to admit that it inspired me to reconnect with the chess I had abandoned many years ago。 I dug out my chess sets， bought a couple of books， and started playing online against chess engines。 I found out that chess engines have improved dramatically and that I'm still not a very good player， but I'm having fun with the challenge。 。。。more

Victoria Glaze ，

If you are a member of audible， this book is a free listen！ Really enjoyed the audiobook and the book in general！ To be honest， I didn't even know there was a book before I watched the Netflix series。 As many of you know， the Netflix show is ADDICTIVE and I think I binged the show in a week！ The book is much the same: I just wanted to listen to it all the time。Its neat to be inside the characters head in the book。 There are slight character differences between the book character and Netflix char If you are a member of audible， this book is a free listen！ Really enjoyed the audiobook and the book in general！ To be honest， I didn't even know there was a book before I watched the Netflix series。 As many of you know， the Netflix show is ADDICTIVE and I think I binged the show in a week！ The book is much the same: I just wanted to listen to it all the time。Its neat to be inside the characters head in the book。 There are slight character differences between the book character and Netflix character。 。。。more

Lillian ，

Very very good！ Although there is language， sexual content， drugs， alcohol， and mental illness in it。 It's not a children's book but we'll worth a read。 The TV show is also very good and adheres closely to the book。 Very very good！ Although there is language， sexual content， drugs， alcohol， and mental illness in it。 It's not a children's book but we'll worth a read。 The TV show is also very good and adheres closely to the book。 。。。more

Natalie F ，

As a Russian-born chess lover， I enjoyed the book despite some liberties that the author took with the history of chess。 The main character is Beth Harmon， a chess prodigy who is able to compete on the same level or higher as the best players of her time。 The book starts in the 50s and continues into 60s and deals with some heavy topics in addition to chess - such as addiction， mental health issues， and disrespect that Beth experiences while rising to the top of this male-dominated field。 One th As a Russian-born chess lover， I enjoyed the book despite some liberties that the author took with the history of chess。 The main character is Beth Harmon， a chess prodigy who is able to compete on the same level or higher as the best players of her time。 The book starts in the 50s and continues into 60s and deals with some heavy topics in addition to chess - such as addiction， mental health issues， and disrespect that Beth experiences while rising to the top of this male-dominated field。 One thing that I didn't like was that Beth was essentially friendless through the duration of the book and remained so in the end even though her sort-of boyfriend helped her in her crucial moment。 One is left wondering what will happen to this brilliant young woman in the future if she doesn't open to others more than she did over the duration of the book。 Of course， we won't know since the book is not based on the true story， so everyone can pick the ending they like。 。。。more

Shawnnnee ，

DAS DAMENGAMBIT erstmals in deutscher Übersetzung überzeugt in seinem Stil wie aber auch in der Charakterentwicklung vollständig。 Die Geschichte von Beth Harmon， die schon in jungen Jahren als Koryphäe im Schachspiel gilt， hat alles was einen guten Roman ausmacht。 Eine ehrgeizige， faszinierende Protagonistin， einen klassischen Schreibstil sowie ein wenig erkundetes Feld in der Literatur， da sich ja nur sehr wenige Geschichten wirklich mit diesem Thema beschäftigen。 Gerade wenn man an das Erschei DAS DAMENGAMBIT erstmals in deutscher Übersetzung überzeugt in seinem Stil wie aber auch in der Charakterentwicklung vollständig。 Die Geschichte von Beth Harmon， die schon in jungen Jahren als Koryphäe im Schachspiel gilt， hat alles was einen guten Roman ausmacht。 Eine ehrgeizige， faszinierende Protagonistin， einen klassischen Schreibstil sowie ein wenig erkundetes Feld in der Literatur， da sich ja nur sehr wenige Geschichten wirklich mit diesem Thema beschäftigen。 Gerade wenn man an das Erscheinungsjahr 1983 denkt。 Fesselnd und eindringlich erzählt， enthält diese Lektüre auch für Fans der beliebten Miniserie noch ein paar mehr Überraschungen bereit。 。。。more

lucja ，

3。75na początku te turnieje itd byly dla mnie bardzo ciekawe i interesujące， z biegem książki coraz mniej， ale podobalo mi sie to， ze Beth nie byla taka idealna i czasem przegrywala

Hannah ，

I'm honestly surprised that I liked this book as much as I did。 I only read the book because of the Netflix series， which I still haven't seen， but am now more willing to after reading the book。 Even though I am not a chess person， I really liked the character of Beth Harmon。 Her passion was chess and the story showed the work and dedication that went into her becoming a champion。 Yes， she was gifted， but she also worked for it， which I think is important for people to read about。 She also stuck I'm honestly surprised that I liked this book as much as I did。 I only read the book because of the Netflix series， which I still haven't seen， but am now more willing to after reading the book。 Even though I am not a chess person， I really liked the character of Beth Harmon。 Her passion was chess and the story showed the work and dedication that went into her becoming a champion。 Yes， she was gifted， but she also worked for it， which I think is important for people to read about。 She also stuck with her principles and was strong for being the only female in the game of chess at that elite of a level。 She was smart and I loved her development throughout the story。 After reading， I now want to watch the show and see how it compares。 I've heard good things though， so I'm hopeful！ 。。。more

Marla ，

It was enjoyable and the Netflix adaptation was fairly faithful。 I wish that Beth didn't end up in bed with most of her mentors。 I also wanted more of Jolene。 It was enjoyable and the Netflix adaptation was fairly faithful。 I wish that Beth didn't end up in bed with most of her mentors。 I also wanted more of Jolene。 。。。more

عامر سعيد ，

تحتاج لقراءة ثانية

camille ❦ jeanne ，

words cannot describe how good this book was and how much i enjoyed reading it。 beth’s character is so beautifully complicated and so well developed by the author， it feels as if readers know exactly what she will do before she knows it herself

Rita Andrade ，

Já há algum tempo que não lia uma história com uma protagonista que me conquistasse logo nas primeiras páginas。 Beth， uma criança， menina， mulher。Beth。 Que aos oito anos descobre o que é ficar completamente sozinha na vida， à mercê de instituições e dos seus métodos educativos pouco ortodoxos。 Que anseia por SENTIR e ter o controlo da sua própria vida。 Que cria as suas próprias regras aos descobrir a sua paixão: Xadrez。 Gostei imenso de "Gambito de Dama" e de acompanhar esta menina ao longo de v Já há algum tempo que não lia uma história com uma protagonista que me conquistasse logo nas primeiras páginas。 Beth， uma criança， menina， mulher。Beth。 Que aos oito anos descobre o que é ficar completamente sozinha na vida， à mercê de instituições e dos seus métodos educativos pouco ortodoxos。 Que anseia por SENTIR e ter o controlo da sua própria vida。 Que cria as suas próprias regras aos descobrir a sua paixão: Xadrez。 Gostei imenso de "Gambito de Dama" e de acompanhar esta menina ao longo de vários anos。Jogadas à parte: esta é a história de Beth。Abril 2022 。。。more

Hemanth ，

This book was even better than the show and it shows that often times books are able to capture more emotions

Jenna ，

Just like the show and such a heart warming ending！！

هبة الله ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The thing is that she almost won every time which was quite unbelievable。

Meagan Jesmer ，

I really enjoyed this book， but if you have seen the Netflix series it follows the book extremely closely。 Sometimes I think they pulled scenes directly out of the conversations in the book。 It was still an interesting book and I enjoyed it a lot！

Will Cutforth ，

So I watched the TV series before picking up the original book， so I knew what to expect from it， however it still blew me away。 I am not a chess player so I don't understand all of the moves that are described but the addiction and the abuse that Beth goes through in this novel hits hard。 It's beautifully written and described in a way us lehmann can still feel engaged。 So I watched the TV series before picking up the original book， so I knew what to expect from it， however it still blew me away。 I am not a chess player so I don't understand all of the moves that are described but the addiction and the abuse that Beth goes through in this novel hits hard。 It's beautifully written and described in a way us lehmann can still feel engaged。 。。。more

Lydia ，

Excellent。Je m'attendais à un gros travail de modernisation de la part de Netflix mais non。 Le livre est aussi agréable que la série。 Tout aussi riche。 Ce qui est rare pour une adaptation à l'écran。 Il y a eu très peu de changements dans le scénario et c'était très plaisant de les débusquer。 Excellent。Je m'attendais à un gros travail de modernisation de la part de Netflix mais non。 Le livre est aussi agréable que la série。 Tout aussi riche。 Ce qui est rare pour une adaptation à l'écran。 Il y a eu très peu de changements dans le scénario et c'était très plaisant de les débusquer。 。。。more

DeeylaReader ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Not the best book I read。 In my opinion， the show was better。Beth had so much masculine features， but was too fragile。 Her mind was sharp， but the author didn't know how to show it。 What I didn't like about it was that， Beth had NO emotion other than seriosity。 I'm sorry， but she never truly cried。 She was way too serious about anything in my opinion， and the romance the author tried too make was forced in the book。But I liked the way he interpretated Beth's mind， so complex， and he made me see Not the best book I read。 In my opinion， the show was better。Beth had so much masculine features， but was too fragile。 Her mind was sharp， but the author didn't know how to show it。 What I didn't like about it was that， Beth had NO emotion other than seriosity。 I'm sorry， but she never truly cried。 She was way too serious about anything in my opinion， and the romance the author tried too make was forced in the book。But I liked the way he interpretated Beth's mind， so complex， and he made me see everything from her eyes。 She always acted like a calculated old man， but in a good way。 And I liked the fact that Walter Tevis showed how much she cared about Benny， while in the show they seemed more like enemies。 Yes， they were enemies to lovers， in my opinion。 What I also didn't like was the fact that the ending left us hanging， which trust me， was not nice at all。But other than that the book is great， a little bit hard one， but fast-paced， I read it in two days because I didn't have much time， but I liked it！ 。。。more

Doron ，

good book

Mangirdas Beniušis ，

Susigundžiau paskaityti， pažiūrėjęs serialą ir pakerėtas adaptacijos meilės detalėms。 Gaila， tačiau literatūrinis šaltinis tos meilės detalėms neparodė。

Elena Merlo ，

Al principio tarde en leerlo ya que si es una lectura que ocupa demasiado atención y no es algo que lo puedas leer rápido como otras lecturas， pero está muy padre ver cómo Beth se va desarrollando y que es una mujer muy fuerte

Athena ，

I am stunned。 I am seriously stunned。 Struck entirely dumb。This was incredible。 Almost inconceivably intricate， and beautiful。I have no more words。 Except， maybe: do yourself a favour and read this。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Queen's Gambit

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Queen's Gambit&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Queen's Gambit&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0