Here's A List Of The Main Characters In "Queen's Gambit," Ranked From Worst To Best

Jolene is the best!

10. Allston Wheatley

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Does this need explaining? He didn't want anything to do with Beth or Alma and ends up leaving his family to pursue a job opportunity elsewhere. Spoiler alert: When Alma dies, Allston doesn't care about Beth and immediately wants his old home back. He's a terrible character.

9. Helen Deardorff

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Helen Deardorff represents one of the evil characters in Beth's past. She's the headmistress of an orphanage for girls where young women are taught to behave a certain way. She's so surprised that Beth is actually good at chess, and she doesn't allow Beth to pursue her goals. Anti-feminist. Anti-woman.

8. Matt & Mike

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The first scene featuring Matt and Mike ruins it for me. They were making fun of Beth for wanting to join in on the tournament and even said, "girls don't play chess." That hit too close to home for me. There's no way that Matt and Mike, in the real world, would end up supporting Beth. No way.

7. D.L. Townes

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D.L. Townes only seemed interested in Beth as a love interest compared to her chess skills. While they become close friends near the end of the series, almost every scene with D.L. was awkward. He only wanted to have sex with her, not play chess with her.

6. Harry Beltik

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I go back and forth on Harry. While he wanted to help Beth with her chess skills, once again, he wanted to have sex with Beth and really was only interested in her because she was a beautiful woman.

5. Benny Watts

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Benny is a talented player in his own right and represents excellence in the game. However, he does treat Beth poorly throughout the series, and he becomes upset when she doesn't want a long-term relationship with him. His attitude at times can be a huge turn off.

4. William Shaibel

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Mr. Shaibel teaches Beth chess. It's because of him that Beth is able to play and learn the game that would impact her life so greatly. While his demeanor is cruel at times, he had to balance his restrictions of working under Ms. Deardorff with wanting to teach Beth how to play. SPOILER ALERT: When Mr. Shaibel dies, Beth goes back to his office and realizes he kept all of her newspaper clippings. How sweet is that?

3. Beth Harmon

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Yes, Beth Harmon had her flaws, but for so many young women, she represents a strong, successful, and powerful female chess player at the top of her game. The important thing is that she grows and matures throughout the series and learns to rise above adversity.

2. Alma Wheatley

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By far one of the most fascinating characters to emerge from the series. While Alma had her internal battles and issues with her marriage, she still adopted Beth and encouraged her to fight for her chess game. That in itself is powerful.

1. Jolene

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In my opinion, she's the best character in the entire series. She's a constant friend whenever Beth needs her and gives Beth the money in order to participate in the final tournament. Jolene, despite the challenges of her past, grew up to become an attorney and a strong female figure.