Check it out. I saw someone say it's a live-action sports anime and while I would never watch an anime I assume that's an accurate description. You'd be shocked how exciting they can make chess look in this show.
It's more okay now to depict the USSR in a positive manner because they're no longer a threat.
I think it's also the reason I've seen more positive takes on Chavez in the MSM lately. When Chavez was still alive, the tone was "Chavez must go!" Now it's "Chavez wasn't that bad actually, but Maduro must go!"
I don't know about that. Look at any other Netflix original that features the USSR and you'll see the most reductive old school red scare bullshit imaginable.
Yeah, the old Evil Empire narrative is still popular, but perhaps less so. I could be wrong; I wasn't alive in the 70s and early 80s, so I don't know how common sympathetic portrayals were.
I don't know if there were any, but Season 3 of Stranger Things is about as sympathetic to the USSR as Rocky IV.
I might be getting the ending wrong
But isn't there an implication that she defects to USSR. She abandons the CIA guy to stay in the Soviet union.
I think it's intentionally ambiguous but that's an extremely reasonable interpretation.
Beth: The match is adjourned.
CIA guy: What's that mean?
When America sends its people, they're not sending their brightest lol.
The funniest part was when he was telling her she should be careful because he may send her secret communist signals through the chess positions or some shit lol
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___ I took it to mean that she just enjoyed the company of older people, since it reminded her of Mr. Shaubel.
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I took it around the same lines. After years of feeling alone and isolated, she visits a park of chess players, and is surrounded with adoration. Essentially Chess is her community, the people she enjoys being with and can be used by her to become a healthier person.
Yes it's good and you should watch it. Also, don't believe your lying rational mind when it says there can't be gay in this show. There's definitely gay.
Kasparov was one of the consultants hired for the show. So it was pretty accurate and used real games and perhaps why it's missing the general anti Soviet bias that we're so used to.
yea hes a rich piece of shit but he's hired to make the movie accurate
Yeah he is also super sexist and kind of a nut job who believes in an alternate view of history where it all basically started after like 500AD and Russia is the coolest throughout.
Basically chess players are gamers so they usually suck.
The funny thing is back in Soviet times most Soviet citizens were rooting for Karpov to beat Kasparov.
Kasparov was only really consulted for the chess, not for the portrayal of the USSR.
There's a couple weird stuff like the KGB guys following the Russians to make sure they don't defect, and kid obsessed with American culture, but great series nonetheless.
Critical support for Borgov
Yeah, the Mexico City episode made me think it was gonna go super red scare but it totally turned that on its head as the show went on.
I feel like the ending was a close as they could get to
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having Beth defect to the USSR as they could for an American show, which surprised me. I was expecting Borgov to defect for an overtly "pro freedom" ending, especially since Beth's escort dropped hints of that.
The KGB really did stuff like that, and it was made clear later than the US state department did too. And Harmon’s line “I’ve never gone to a drive in movie theater either” served to show the kid’s enthusiasm for American culture was misplaced.
Kinda random but do you have a link to any articles/info on countries sending intelligence agents to make sure athletes don't defect?
From what I understand, the USSR actually had a very large chess culture. Kinda cool. I want to get into chess more.
We could have like, a Chapo chess tournament or a Chapo chess circle or sub or whatever the fuck idk
The show seemed like a fictionalization of Bobby Fischer's career. He became world champion in 1972 and ended years of Soviet domination, which was a big deal because Cold War. Much like how America suddenly cared about piano when Van Cliburn won the International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Definitely, but not with the reach and impact of Chess in the western world. Go is obviously excellent though.
I’m watching it and i love how it shows little kids getting just absolutely wrecked on tranquilizers. USA!
Pretty fucked up how they punish a 9-year-old girl for being addicted to addictive drugs that they gave her.
I didn't know about the USSR, but I was already excited at the mere prospect of a chess drama.
Yea, I think overall I was really surprised the depiction of the USSR wasn't outright negative. It did play the trope "soviets are cold and calculating, while americans are creative and smart", but idk maybe that's true when it comes to chess? Idk
spoiler of the ending
Although the ending was just laughably ridiculous for me. I'm supposed to believe that all of the USSR would cheer on an American woman coming to the USSR and beating their chess grandmaster during the 70's??? Did sexism or patriotism not exist at all?
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I thought her popularity in the USSR was supposed to indicate a couple of things:
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The USSR was much more progressive in its attitudes towards women.
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The USSR was much more appreciative of intellectual achievement.
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The USSR had a better culture of sportsmanship.
It was in a way almost comically pro-USSR in the last episode, which I loved.
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It is not true when it comes to chess lol. One of the most famously creative players of all time was Mikhail Tal.
A close relative of mine was actually friends with him. They were out drinking at a party one night and got completely wasted and Tal invited the relative over to his place to play a game of late night chess. It was a draw but the relative was always absolutely convinced afterwards that despite being almost black out drunk Tal was just playing along and let him end in a draw so as to not hurt his feelings.
Lol I've tried to play chess almost black out drunk, it is easier than you might expect, but definitely nowhere close to being a good idea lol
I can imagine. But I guess that much talent doesn't even quit when your blacking out :D
It’s somewhat true, as Soviet players were the best trained in openings and end games, so Americans would need to create imbalances and play sharp lines to have a chance. Tal was obviously an exception.
What about Spassky, Shirov, Topalov, and Kasparov then (granted, some of them reached their hey day after the fall of the USSR)? Tal wasn't really an exception, it's just a weird myth that doesn't make that much sense. The US back then had like one guy, Bobby Fisher, that's more of an exception than anything.
It's only true for many Soviet players because historically, they're simply better chess players. I'm saying that for Americans to have a chance against Soviets, they needed to play inaccuracies and create wilder positions. I'm not saying Americans are actually more creative in chess, but rather that they need to play less solid moves to have a chance, which is pretty accurately shown in the show.
Boris Spassky really did stand and applaud when Bobby beat him. Soviets were not as nationalist and sexist as America, and it’s not totally unbelievable their love of chess would trump that.
Although the ending was just laughably ridiculous for me. I’m supposed to believe that all of the USSR would cheer on an American woman coming to the USSR and beating their chess grandmaster during the 70’s??? Did sexism or patriotism not exist at all?
It happened though. I don't remember his name but that was the exact same reaction some American pianist got when he won a piano competition there, and Boris Spassky gave a standing ovation to Bobby Fisher when he beat him. Like yeh, it wasn't universal but that was part of the culture.
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I like how they always try to get her to shit on the USSR publicly and she’s like nah
If you wanna watch a top notch anime by an absolute master of animation that makes a seemingly lame sport look exhilarating watch Masaaki Yuasa's "Ping Pong: The Animation". It's only 12 short episodes.
If you wanna watch [an]... anime
please, have some self respect
I've only seen the first half but it's pretty cool
also start watching anime
I saw someone say it’s a live-action sports anime
I see you, you SBFP viewer you. Guess you really can find Friends anywhere.
Also guess I gotta check out this series
