3 Unanswered Questions Fans Have After Watching The Queen’s Gambit

Anya Taylor-Joy would forever leave us in awe in every role she portrays. Recently, she played chess master Beth Harmon in the record-shattering The Queen’s Gambit. Despite its huge impact and appeal on its audience, it would seem that a second installment will probably not happen. Although if it were up to Anya alone, she adores the character and would certainly come back if she was asked to. However, the decision isn’t entirely Anya’s to make. Plus, it doesn’t seem like a second season was ever a definite possibility in the first place.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

3 Unanswered Questions Fans Have After Watching The Queen’s Gambit

The limited series ended with Beth Harmon winning the most important chess match of her young life. But, that raises one question in itself: What’s next for Beth Harmon after she beat world champion Vasily Borgov? Since the show was written as a limited series with no plans for a second season, these questions would likely remain unanswered. Here are only some of them:

Will Beth continue being sober or will she have a relapse after the high of beating Borgov?

After Borgov beat Beth in Paris, she fell into a deep rut of substance abuse that left her barely able to stand upright, let alone play chess. Sure, she gets sober in time for the tournament in Moscow. She also flushes the last of her tranquilizes, realizing in the second half of her match against him that she doesn’t need a cloudy mind to visualize the game.

Although it seems as if it’s a happily-ever-after kind of thing, it still presents a danger of coming down from the euphoria of winning that could trigger another relapse. Addiction is a lifelong battle – one that Beth will probably have to struggle with for a long time… and a win against Borgov wouldn’t help her with that fight.

Where will Beth’s romantic life lead?

Over the course of her life, Beth has a number of romantic entanglements. Her deepest infatuation came with her first crush, Townes. However, it is strongly implied that Townes is actually gay and his interest in her was simply a deep fascination with her talent that he briefly mistook for romantic feelings. They ended the series having formed a stronger, platonic bond.

Her relationship with Harry Beltik, on the other hand, remained one-sided. He had stronger feelings for her than she ever had for him. They also ended their relationship on a bad note with Beth barely hanging on her own sanity.

She also had a great deal of chemistry with Benny Watts. And, it was Benny who lead her team of strategists in the final match against Borgov which indicated that he had forgiven her for shutting him out after her match in Paris.

In one episode, Beth slept with Cleo, a French model who tempted her into an alcoholic binge on the night before her vital game against Borgov in Paris. This heavily implied that Beth was interested in both men and women. With Jolene back in her life, a deep relationship could blossom into something more. But, of course, this question will remain unanswered.

Was Cleo working for the Soviets?

Related to the earlier romantic entanglement, many commentators suggested that Cleo was actually a Russian spy. Although this was never made explicit in the series, it all made sense. She claims that she met Hilton and Arthur when she was walking through Le Jardin de Luxembourg. She also claimed that she felt fascinated by their passionate argument over a chessboard. Of course, this could be a lie and targeted them to get close to other high-ranking players like Benny and Beth.

Beth overheard a conversation between the Soviets in an elevator where they discuss rumors that she was, in fact, an alcoholic. Then, Cleo just happens to show up at Benny’s apartment when Beth started preparing for her match against Borgov. She also just happens to show up again at Beth’s hotel the night before the match. Cleo calls up to Beth’s room and pressures her to come down to the bar for a drink. She makes it clear she will be staying at the bar when Beth refuses, manipulating the chess master. Of course, she joins her and one drink turns into many – pointing Beth as a victim of a honey trap.