“Queen’s Gambit”: what a ride!

I’ve often said: “I don’t believe in talent. I believe in hard work and honesty.” And it is perfectly reasonable to ask how I can say that, and simultaneously adore “The Queen’s Gambit,” which is very clearly about a genius with a wild talent.

This…is complicated. First, allow me to say that I’m not saying I really think that everyone comes “out of the gate” with the exact same amount of everything. That would be as absurd as saying all babies are the same weight, or all adults the same height. So…what AM I saying? Primarily that I’ve never found the term “talent” useful. It is used to avoid the hard, lonely work necessary to evolve. Let’s apply the M.A.G.I.C. formula, as a way of contextualizing useful principles from a work of fiction.

(Unavoidable spoilers ahead)

1. Model and Map. Beth had a role model (Shaibel the janitor and mentor) before she ever had a conscious goal. She watched him study books and boards. His moves were true. He taught her, and she absorbed like a sponge. While we could speculate that she inherited a genetic capacity for mathematical analysis from her genius mother, it is also true that she had that mother as an even earlier model…and we just don’t know how much influence that has. So think what you want…just be sure that any faith-based model of the world empowers you.
2. Action. “I don’t believe in talent. I believe in hard work and honesty over time.” I first said that decades ago, and IMO it passes The Three Gates. Two of them anyway: honesty and usefulness…