In Walter Tevis's novel, we are introduced to a world of depth and complexity, a coming-of-age story about genius, sacrifice, and the endless toll behind it.The protagonist of the story, young Beth Harmon, was adopted from a Kentucky orphanage in the late 1950s.She possesses a rare and astounding talent for chess, but her life is not all about victory and glory on the chessboard.

Beth's story allows us to see the real face behind a gifted child.Not only did she have extraordinary chess talent, she was also deeply affected by the sedatives provided to children by the government and became a drug addict.This drug dependence left her troubled growing up, and she was constantly torn between drugs and obsession, trying to find a balance.

However, in the process, Beth was also troubled by her own inner demons.The social environment she was in, especially the male-dominated chess world, put great pressure on her.The world is full of traditions and rules, but Beth, as a woman, an orphan, and a drug addict, is determined to break those boundaries and make her own path.

In the process, Beth demonstrated impressive determination and perseverance.She not only achieved impressive results on the chessboard, but also showed great charm and strength in all aspects of life.Her story allows us to see a true hero, a person who is not afraid of hardships and moves forward courageously.

However, behind all this is the huge price Beth paid.Her genius caused her to endure unimaginable pressure and distress, her drug dependence caused her to lose many possible choices in life, and her determination and perseverance also caused her to make huge sacrifices in the pursuit of her dreams.sacrifice.

Episode 1

In Paris in 1976, a hurried knock on the door woke up a woman immersed in a bathtub. Her name was Elisabeth.She hurriedly swallowed two green pills and hurried to a chess game.This scene reveals the intensity of her life and her obsession with the game of chess.

Elizabeth is an orphan. Her parents died in a car accident when she was very young.She was adopted by an orphanage and began a difficult life.In the orphanage, she meets Jolene and Ms. Didolf.Jolene is a kind girl, while Ms. Didolf appears to be affable, but is actually stern.During her days in the orphanage, Elizabeth experienced many hardships, but she never gave up.

Elizabeth's love for chess began when she met an old man in the basement.Her keen observation and unique insights into the chess game impressed the old man, and he began to teach her how to play chess.However, Elizabeth placed too much emphasis on winning and losing and did not respect the chess game, which ultimately angered the old man and prevented her from entering the basement again.

However, this did not stop Elizabeth's love for the game of chess.By collecting vitamin pills, she once again opened the door to the basement.She carefully played chess with the old man and gradually grew up.In each chess game, she learned to respect her opponents and how to face winning and losing.

At the age of nine, Elizabeth got her first chess book.She secretly learned chess games in class and showed amazing talent.Her chess skills gradually gained recognition, and she was eventually given the opportunity to play chess in high school.

However, Elizabeth's life was not all plain sailing.The government banned orphanages from providing tranquilizers to children, causing Elizabeth to suffer withdrawal symptoms.On the way to the high school, Jolene gave her two tranquilizer pills to help her get through it.

In the high school chess game, Elizabeth showed amazing strength.She defeated 20 contestants and won everyone's admiration.However, after the game, she sneaks out of the screening room and ventures into the medicine station in order to get a tube full of tranquilizers.Eventually, she lost consciousness due to an overdose of sedatives, and the glass bottle in her hand shattered.

Episode 2

During her years in the orphanage, Elizabeth almost died for stealing medicine. This incident not only brought her severe punishment, but also caused her to cut off communication with the administrator Mr. Chabei who was once close to her.Four years later, when a middle-class couple decided to adopt her, she left this familiar but scarred place with mixed emotions.

Although Elizabeth's new home is spacious, the relationship between her adoptive parents, Auston and Alma, is not harmonious.The adoptive father often traveled on business, while the adoptive mother was an alcoholic and paid little attention to her.In this environment, Elizabeth learned to be independent. She excelled in school, but she was even more fascinated by chess.She had made mistakes because of this when she was in the orphanage, but now she sees it as spiritual sustenance and motivation to move forward.

Elibesa discovers the autobiography of the great chess master José Capablanca in the school library, which opens up a new world for her.She not only studied the chess game, but also learned persistence and courage from it.However, the pressure of life forced her to consider how to earn extra income, so she decided to participate in the state chess championship, hoping to win prizes and improve her life.

In preparing for the competition, Elizabeth faced various difficulties.Not only did she have to deal with the school curriculum, but she also had to take care of her alcoholic foster mother, and even asked the former administrator, Mr. Chabei, for help in order to raise registration fees.But she never gave up, and her persistence and talent ultimately allowed her to stand out in the competition and win the championship.

This victory not only changed Elizabeth's life, but also caused shock in the chess world.She became the new Kentucky state champion, and her story was published in newspapers and attracted attention.Her adoptive mother also began to care about her competition, and even took the initiative to study the competition schedule and became her agent.

Episode 3

In 1963, the Cincinnati State Chess Open was in full swing.In this arena, a girl named Elizabeth became the center of attention.However, what few people know is that behind her stands a silently dedicated mother - Alma.

In order to support her daughter's dream, Alma lied to the school to get a longer vacation for Elizabeth.They live in a room that costs $22 a day. Although it is simple, the mother and daughter's smiles are particularly bright.This simple comfort and the expectation of future life allowed Alma to let go of the burden in her heart and rediscover the hope of life.

During the competition, Elizabeth showed extraordinary talent.Although her opponents would give up when they see her, she still insists on reviewing the game and looking for her own shortcomings.Her goal is the National Open, where there are more generous prizes and a broader stage.She did not believe in evil and firmly believed that she could defeat the powerful opponent from the Soviet Union.

However, the road to competition has not been smooth sailing.Elizabeth met a special player with a level score of 1800, which made Alma sweat.Fortunately, Elizabeth won the championship without any danger, which brought a financial turnaround for mother and daughter.Although Alma proposed a 10“ commission, Elizabeth took the initiative to increase it to 15”, which was a recognition of her mother's contribution.

Subsequently, the mother and daughter began a traveling racing career.Alma took care of all the travel arrangements so that Elizabeth could concentrate on her chess studies.They even had Christmas dinner on the plane after winning the Houston Open.This was Elizabeth's first sip of wine, and she found it tasted pretty good.

However, with success comes pressure.In an exclusive interview with Xiangqi Tianxia, ​​Elizabeth was asked about creativity and schizophrenia.She thought of her mother, knowing the fragile line between genius and madness.Alma interrupted the interview just in time to protect her daughter from further harm.

As time went on, Elizabeth's fame grew.The school set up a chess club for her, and many boys regarded her as their idol.However, she found that she had no common language with those girls, so she chose to give up joining the girls' club.She preferred to spend her time reasoning about chess games rather than focusing on trivial topics.

However, fate is always full of variables.In 1965, due to Alma's illness, Elizabeth had to give up the National Open that year.The next year, when Alma's health improved, they competed again.In Las Vegas, Elizabeth met Taunes, a former player who has now become a sports reporter.Although Elizabeth was unfazed by his flirting, she knew that nothing was possible between the two of them.

In this competition, Elizabeth's only opponent is Benny Watts.He also became famous at a young age and knew Elizabeth's chess game well.This made Elizabeth feel more pressured, but she still adhered to her principles and was determined to end the final with a victory.However, she was arrogant and ultimately failed because of her greed for success.The two had the same points and jointly won the joint championship of this U.S. Open.

Episode 4

In Russian class, Elizabeth met a group of older college students.This group of people often gathered together to talk loudly, and it was in this atmosphere that Elizabeth first heard about the existence of marijuana.Her mother Alma, an ordinary mother, hopes that her daughter can have other fun in her life besides chess.So even though Elibetha stayed out all night, Alma never blamed her.

However, Elizabeth gradually discovered that the college students she once thought were like-minded were actually just talkers, and their words and actions disappointed her.She began to doubt the value of association with them.

In the summer of 1966, Elizabeth graduated from high school, which meant she was of legal drinking age.She no longer has to hide like she used to.Meanwhile, her classmates may be planning their graduation parties, but Elibesa has only one thing on her mind - traveling to Mexico City to compete in a chess tournament and compete for the U.S. Championship Cup.If all goes well, she might even qualify for the European competition in Paris.Paris, that's where Alma has always wanted to be, but first, they need to go to Mexico City.

In Mexico, Alma had a pen pal named Manuel.Elibesa did not like him. She felt that Manuel was too enthusiastic and unrestrained and always made Alma laugh.Many years after her divorce, Alma seemed to have found a new joy in life in Manuel.She often spoke of Manuel, which displeased Elibesa.Elibesa had also thought about enjoying life like her mother in this place full of Spanish culture.But she also worried that she would live in the shadow of her talent, as Mr. Schabe said, earning the respect of society but having to endure the anger of not being able to integrate into society.However, such a change was too difficult for her, and she preferred to return to chess, because that was her world.

Elizabeth, who was used to confiding in her mother after games, disliked Manuel's presence very much.After all, men are unreliable. Within a few days, Manuel left Mexico on the pretext of a business trip.Although Alma felt a little lonely, her smile soon returned. She thought this was not a big deal.

The game begins and there is no time limit.Elizabeth meets a younger contestant named George Gillev.The competition between the two was extremely fierce, lasting from the afternoon to the evening, and there was still no winner for five hours.Elizabeth chose to close the game and thought about it all night.Before the main game the next day, the two continued their unfinished game.George was an admirer of Elizabeth, and for her, he chose to admit defeat.Elizabeth admitted that George was the most powerful opponent she had ever encountered, but George knew that she would soon retract her words because there were more powerful enemies behind her.

The final was between Elibesa and Vasily Borgov of the Soviet Union.In the early morning, Elizabeth finished washing and left the room quietly without waking her mother.In the elevator, she heard the Russian conversation between Vasily and his companions.Obviously, the Soviets were well aware of Elizabeth's chess style - all-attack style, irritable after making mistakes, drunkard, orphan... These labels made Elizabeth angry.What surprised her even more was that the Soviet Union sent the KGB to guard a national treasure like Vasily to prevent him from escaping.This couldn't help but make Elibesa feel a little pity for Vasily.

The atmosphere in the final was extremely harmonious.Vasily stretched out his hand, and Elizabeth shook it with a smile.However, the competition is brutal.Any attack or defense of Elizabeth is calculated by Vasily, and every move of Vasily's moves is from the classic textbooks, with nothing new.Although Elibesa tried various strange tricks, she still fell into the routine designed by Vasily every time.Vasily is like a chess-playing machine. He has thousands of chess positions in his mind. Once he comes out, his opponent can only follow his routine.After walking hundreds of steps, Elizabeth decisively gave up.

Back in the room, Elibetha told Alma about the contest while she was still lying in bed.However, Alma had no reaction.Years of alcoholism had sapped the last bit of energy from her liver.The hotel would cover the burial costs, and Elizabeth contacted Auston.What made her angry was that Auston told a lot about Alma's family cemetery and the mortgage on the house, but he didn't even want to know the cause of his ex-wife's death.Alma's body will be returned to Kentucky.

Before Alma left, Elizabeth bought a large number of green capsules from the hotel pharmacy.Because in Mexico, sedatives can be purchased without even a prescription.This is probably the only thing that can comfort Elizabeth during this trip to Mexico.

Episode 5

Late at night, the sky seemed to be torn apart and heavy rain poured down.Elizabeth dragged her heavy suitcase back to this deserted home, soaked all over.On the coffee table, there was still a teacup that her mother had forgotten to put away, and her lipstick marks remained on the rim of the cup. This scene made Elizabeth feel sad.

The ringing of the phone was particularly harsh in this silent night.It was Bertik who called, expressing his regret that Elibesa lost to Vasily in the game.But he also offered to help Elizabeth practice before the game.This summer, Bertik worked part-time here, and his appearance made Elizabeth feel a little warm.

Elizabeth invited Bertik to her home. When the two met, Bertik was amazed by Elizabeth's growth and changes, and Elizabeth also discovered that Bertik had corrected his rotten teeth..Bertik sent many treasured chess records, but Elizabeth was already familiar with them.The difference between the two is that Elizabeth relies more on intuition, while Bertik is a theoretical person.Even so, Elizabeth could benefit from the tricks Bertik occasionally learned from unpopular chess records.

That night, Elizabeth did not go back to the bedroom on the second floor, but spent it on the sofa in the living room.The next day, Bertik stayed all day, but was defeated five times by Elizabeth.However, this was not enough, as Vasily's level was much higher than this.In order to improve her chess skills, Elibesa began to study Vasily's works seriously.

After getting along for a few days, Elizabeth decided to let Bertik move in with her in her former bedroom.This decision made Bertik happy. Everything he did was to pursue Elizabeth.For Elizabeth, he repaired his teeth, spent all his tuition fees, and even had to work part-time during the summer vacation.Now, it all seems to be paying off.

However, Elizabeth is a ruthless she-wolf both on the chessboard and in reality.She doesn't need sweet words, just practicality.Only on the chessboard can Bertik and Elizabeth find a common language.However, at his level, he could only feel humiliated again and again.Elizabeth also made no secret of her contempt for the weak, and the love between the two was as fleeting as an electric spark.

In Bertik's view, Elizabeth is an unattainable goddess.He decided to leave and return to his rented apartment.Before leaving, he took out the medicine bottle he found in the bathroom.He didn't want Elizabeth to be like the famous chess player Murphy, who quit chess at the age of 22 because she couldn't control herself, and eventually turned into a madman mumbling to herself.

The 1967 Ohio State Championship was held at a second-tier university in the state.Elizabeth did not listen to Bertik's advice and continued to take capsules to improve her chess skills.As expected, the proud Benny Watts also signed up to participate in this state competition.Before the game officially started, Elizabeth knew who her final opponent would be.

After two days of fierce competition, Elizabeth and Benny successfully entered the finals.On the eve of the finals, Elizabeth temporarily put down her chessboard and went to the Student Activity Center to buy a cup of coffee.There, she unexpectedly meets Benny, who is discussing a chess game with his friends.Unable to withstand Benny's provocation, Elizabeth engaged him in a fast chess match, with a bet of five dollars per game.However, Elizabeth failed repeatedly and eventually lost all the money in her wallet.After returning to the dormitory, she couldn't help but secretly rejoice because she had figured out Benny's path.

In the finals the next day, Benny went first, but gave up on the 30th move, which was a disastrous defeat.However, he is not a fussy person and does not care about winning or losing the game.Elizabeth won the match and qualified for the Paris Grand Prix and the Moscow Invitational.Benny provided some of his own experience and told her that the air tickets would be paid for by the government, and the remaining expenses could be funded by a tutor.

On the issue of how to deal with Vasily, Benny proposed that he should be the coach and train before going to Paris.Elizabeth did not admit it with her mouth, but she began to be fascinated by this somewhat cynical man.So, she agreed to go to Benny's house in New York for training.

Episode 6

Elizabeth, a woman who has been instilled with independent thoughts by her mother since she was a child, seems to have been trying to get rid of dependence and seek the realization of self-worth throughout her life.Her mother taught her that she must be independent in order to live without relying on a man.This thought was deeply imprinted in her heart and became the motto of her life.

After the game in Ohio, Elizabeth chooses Benny as her partner and heads to New York.What she values ​​​​is not his wealth or status, but his quick thinking, unique chess style and unique understanding of the chess game.These qualities allowed her to see the possibility of making progress together, and also allowed her to see her own hope of success.

In her life in New York, Elizabeth showed extremely high self-requirements.During the day, she studied the chess game with Benny, and at night, she lay on the inflatable bed in the living room and thought over the strategies.Her efforts were not in vain, and her chess skills improved greatly in a short period of time.

However, success is not always easy.On the eve of the Paris International Championships, Eliza could not resist the pressure and chose to indulge.She partied the night away at the bar, ultimately leading to her loss in the competition.This failure made her deeply regretful, and she chose to return to her hometown in Kentucky, trying to find the strength to start over.

Back home, Elizabeth faced more challenges.Not only does she have to deal with Alma's legacy, she also has to face the pressures of life.But she did not give in. Instead, she used her savings to buy a house and redecorate it according to her own ideas, trying to stimulate her fighting spirit.

However, she overlooked an important fact: participating in competitions requires funds.In order to raise funds, she had to accept church sponsorship.This made her feel unspeakably frustrated.She began to review the chess game in Paris over and over again, trying to find the reason for the failure.But the deeper she dug into it, the more discouraged and frightened she became.She began to crave the stimulation of alcohol and drugs, trying to find ways to deal with Vasily.But all she got was decadence and madness.

In this process, Elizabeth experienced a process from independence to frustration to indulgence.Her life seems to be stuck in a vicious cycle from which she cannot extricate herself.However, just when she was most desperate, the appearance of Qiao Lin brought her new hope.

Episode 7

Elizabeth's story is like a complex chess game, full of challenges, dilemmas, hopes and triumphs.

Her mother chose to self-destruct out of despair because of a mistake.This tragedy was deeply imprinted on Elizabeth's heart, causing her to bear a heavy psychological burden.And Jolene, the once troubled girl, has now become Elizabeth's friend and savior.Her appearance gave Elizabeth hope and gave her the courage to face life again.

However, life didn't get any easier.Elibesa faces the upcoming Soviet chess tournament and is under great pressure.She longs for victory and proves herself, but is afraid of failure and of disappointing those who care about her again.Her heart was full of contradictions and struggles, and she even had to resort to medication to cope with the stress.

At this critical moment, Mr. Charbet's death and funeral became a turning point in Elizabeth's life.In that small church, she felt Mr. Chabei's expectations and attention for her.This allowed her to regain her original intention of learning chess, and also made her determined to fight for her dreams and those who care about her.

Therefore, Elizabeth stopped the church's funding and determined to use her own strength to win the game.However, the problem of funds became a stumbling block for her progress.When she almost gave up, Jolene reached out to help.This once troubled girl used her savings to help Elibesa so that she could successfully travel to the Soviet Union to participate in the competition.

In Moscow, Elibesa faced powerful opponents and strict surveillance.But she did not back down, but used her wisdom and courage to overcome challenges again and again.Finally, in the final, she successfully defeated Lushenko, one of the Big Three of the Soviet Union, and won the game.