Make your move

The series follows Beth Harmon, an orphan and chess prodigy battling addiction, who goes on to become a world champion.Pic/ YouTube

If you've watched Netflix's latest miniseries, The Queen's Gambit, you'll know that it is hard to not binge on it. Every time chess prodigy Beth Harmon has her eyes fixated on the board, it sets your pulse racing - almost as if you were playing a game with her.

Set in the 1950s, the show traces the journey of Beth Harmon, an orphan overcoming her mother's death and grappling with addiction and becoming a world-class champion. It also digs deep into sexism in sport and the nuances of the game. But if you wish to go one step ahead and play it yourself, we invited Manisha Mohite, a former national-level chess player, to share tips on how you can get started.

Always buy a big board: The standard size ranges from 16 to 20 inches. Don't play on smartphones and small boards until you are acquainted with the game. Mohite explains why: "Initially you have to have, what we call, ‘board vision'; the board needs to be imprinted on your brain. There are 32 pieces on the board, so it's crowded. So, for beginners, the size of the squares should be bigger than the pieces."

Study the movement: When you look at the board, there are three kinds of squares - the horizontal ones are called ‘rows', the vertical are called ‘files', and the diagonals. Each piece moves differently. The pawns, for instance, initially move two squares at a time and later one square, and diagonally while capturing.

Anya Taylor-Joy as Harmon. PIC/facebook

Learn notation: You have eight horizontal squares and eight vertical. So rows are numbered from one to eight and files are named alphabetically from A to H. Each square also has a name - A1, A2... B1, B2..., and so on. "We have an algebraic chess notation. So, we've to compulsorily write it down. Hence, we can study games played in the 16th century, too. Only if you learn this, can you follow chess from books, movies or the Internet easily," Mohite shares.

Solve theme-based puzzles: Start solving puzzles daily. These are tricks and traps on the board. "For example, a fork is when one piece attacks two pieces. So, you have puzzles based on a fork. Other themes include pin, double attack and discovered attack. The degree of difficulty varies but some can be solved in five minutes," she says.

Manisha Mohite

Know your values: Mohite states that chess is based on the 6th century Indian army and its three wings: infantry, cavalry and the royalty. She calls it, "Military warfare played mentally." That way, the king has no value because once he is captured, the game is over. "The rough value of the pawns would be one unit, while the knights and bishops would be equivalent to three pawns, the rooks to five, and the queen to about nine to 10, depending on the position," she adds.

Online resources

• Chess.com: An internet chess server, forum and social networking website.
• Chessbase.in: For information on the Indian chess scene and puzzles.
• Follow Chess: A home-grown app to catch live games that can also be streamed simultaneously.

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