Aftershocks of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Still Being Felt in UVA Chess Club

Goldrick: I very much enjoyed the scenes from the first tournament that Beth plays in the gymnasium of a school, because it is a scene that is very familiar to me given that many scholastic chess tournaments and medium-sized tournaments to this day take place in similar atmospheres such as schools and churches.

I also liked the portrayal of the scene after Beth’s adjournment while in Russia when she talks on the phone with the players back in the U.S., because it is something that is very representative of the time period in which they were playing, and adjournment is not something that is used any more at the top levels of chess.

Q. Do you feel the show is an accurate representation of how the game is played, or were there a lot of Hollywood liberties taken? Were there any parts of the show where you were like, “That would never happen!”

Goldrick: The show did a very good job representing the game of chess and the chess community of the 1950s and 1960s. The only Hollywood liberty that I feel was taken was the lack of draws shown in the show. At the top levels of chess, the rate at which games are drawn is about 35% to 45%, yet very few draws are shown throughout the show, likely to keep the audience interested in each game Beth plays.

Other than documentaries, Goldrick said “The Queen’s Gambit” is the best portrayal of chess he’s seen. (Contributed photo)

Cao-Dao: I’m not sure what the regulations were decades ago, but the tournaments today are nothing like the way they are depicted in the show. Once a game starts, there are no adjournments or help from outside players at all. In the show, there were usually insane numbers of people spectating the game, but in normal tournaments spectators are limited and not allowed to make any noise to distract the players (tournament rooms are usually dead quiet).

Also, it’s encouraged for new players to never resign because you never know if your opponent will make a mistake. My friends and I all learned growing up to never resign, but in the show Beth was taught to resign almost immediately when she was losing.

Q. Overall, what did you think of the show?

Cao-Dao: Overall, I adored the show, and it was refreshing to see the focus on Beth’s struggle and growth as a player instead of her love life.

Goldrick: I thought that the show was the best portrayal of chess that I have seen outside of chess documentaries. From the ways that the players sit to the way they move the pieces and how they talk about the game, the show seemed to be very accurate and representative of the competitive chess community.

Q. How has the UVA Chess Club been affected by the pandemic?

Goldrick: The club has been able to adapt to the pandemic very well given that there is already so much online chess infrastructure (chess.com and lichess.com). The chess aspect of the club has not changed very much, as we can still play one another online, but the social aspect of being able to see your opponent and talk to others between playing is not very easy to facilitate. We are currently using a Discord server to communicate while we play, but it is still difficult to have normal conversations with people if there are too many people talking over one another.

We have been able to recently get involved with the Collegiate Chess League, where we are able to compete as teams of four against other schools across the country.

Q. How is playing somebody online different compared to playing somebody in person?

Cao-Dao: For me, playing online is much more casual than playing someone in person. It’s more fun to play in person, especially at tournaments where you can walk around and see everybody else’s game.

Goldrick: Playing online is different in two aspects. The first is your opponent’s body language, which, while it doesn’t really change the way you play, is something that is taken for granted when playing in person. The second aspect is that when playing online the pieces are represented in 2-D rather than the physical 3-D that you would use in an in-person game. For some people, the switch from 3-D to 2-D can negatively impact performance.

Q. What’s the longest match you’ve ever played and what was the outcome?

Cao-Dao: My longest match was about six hours and I’m pretty sure I lost. I still had plenty of fun playing, but I remember feeling exhausted after.

Goldrick: The longest game that I have ever played was about 5.5 hours long and it resulted in me winning. It took place when I was in middle school, maybe 2015 or 2016, at the United States Amateur Team East tournament in Parsippany, New Jersey.

Q. Have you guys ever played each other? If so, any specific details of the match you can share?

Goldrick: Vivian and I have never met due to COVID-19 and her being a first-year. We have played five games online, however, on three separate days when the club was playing together online. In those five games I have won three, Vivian has won one and we have drawn once. None of the games stand out very significantly to me, except that the three times I won, I won on time (she ran out of time on her clock), which isn’t unusual when we are playing blitz chess.

Cao-Dao: We have played some fun quick games during club meetings online, but we haven’t played a serious game yet. I’m hoping there’ll be more opportunities once the pandemic is over!

For information about the UVA Chess Club, email Goldrick at kcg2rr@virginia.edu.