A Review of The Queen's Gambit: Lessons on Workplace Culture and Mental Health.

The Queen's Gambit mini-series has gone ahead to break many records on Netflix. It is currently the streaming giant's most-watched scripted mini-series with over 62 million views. There are multiple lenses through which one can examine this story. As one with vested interests in psychiatry, psychology, and mental health, I'll focus on looking at it from that angle and its relationship with the workplace.

Elizabeth Harmon's experience growing with an unstable single parent and later on being orphaned at a young age sets the tone for the entire story. She gets exposed to the tranquilliser, Librium, at a very young age while at the orphanage home and soon gets addicted. Her budding romance with chess grew side-by-side this newfound addiction. The drug aided her memory and brought about controlled hallucinations, such that she could see the chessboard and pieces on the ceiling after consuming the drug.

It was common practice for children in orphanages to get tranquilizers in the '50s and '60s. Librium was administered to these children to make them less aggressive and more comfortable to control. However, Librium has the potential to become addictive, as was the case with Elizabeth. The euphoria and hallucinations she experienced made her hooked. Later on, she kept aside the daily doses to take multiple capsules of the drug to make the euphoria and hallucinations more pronounced. It was no surprise then she experienced withdrawal symptoms upon banning the drug, and subsequent withdrawal from the list of daily supplements children at the school got. Her desperation to regain that feeling led to her breaking into the storage room where medications are kept. This foray ended catastrophically as she was caught and blacked out in the process due to the large quantities of the drugs she consumed.

As for her chess career, she steadily rose through the ranks in a mostly male-dominated sport, defeating all opponents she encountered. Her exploits brought in money and fame as she travelled the world with her adopted mother, who had to tell multiple lies about why she couldn't be in school. She first had to settle for a draw in the US Open final match up with Benny Watts. This was only a kink in her journey, but it was a sign of things to come. She was going to, later on, meet Vasily Borgov, World Chess Champion, who handed her the first loss of her career.

Elizabeth ended up losing twice to Borgov in neutral locations – first in Mexico and then in Paris. The defeat in Mexico was made all the more painful as she found out her foster mother, had died during her match. Her loss to Borgov then was simply a result of not being good enough. In Paris, despite being adequately prepared, she shot herself in the foot. Even though she could stay off drugs in preparation for the tournament in Paris, she eventually got hooked just the night before the final against Borgov. Lured by Cleo, she gave in to the temptation and ended up drinking through the night and frolicking with men. By the next day, she had to be woken up for her final match following the night's exertions before. She was hungover throughout the contest with Borgov and could not think straight. It was no surprise then when she lost as well.

The death of her adopted mother, Mrs Wheatley, and the two losses against Borgov especially hit her hard and nearly made her drink herself to death were it not for the timely visit of her childhood friend at the orphanage, Jolene. Her visit helped Elizabeth see how she has been an inspiration to others. She also broke the news of the death of Mr. Shaibel, the man responsible for teaching her chess and giving her the early opportunities that set her up for an astonishing career. A man Beth had forgotten about and did not pay a visit to amidst her tours all around the world. Her subsequent visit to the orphanage and the sight of newspaper cuttings of her career progress throughout her career in Mr Shaibel's basement all aided in her recovery from drug and alcohol abuse and gave her a new perspective on why she had to succeed.

She eventually triumphed in Borgov's home country of Russia, in a game created by his fellow countrymen, albeit at the third time of asking. It was a fitting climax to an enthralling story. Even though she enjoyed working alone, teamwork and collaboration were vital in defeating World Chess Champion Vasily Borgov. In comparison, the Soviet chess players had this sturdy and unfazed attitude in public, which gave them an enigmatic aura. Beneath all of these, however, they worked together in secret, reviewing each other's games and coming up with strategies to defeat their opponents. Their attitude was in stark contrast to the independent front American chess players displayed. When Elizabeth defeated Borgov, it was due to the help she got from the other chess players who called in from Benny Watt's basement and D. L. Townes, who found his way to Russia as a reporter. Alone, she was frail and capable of self-destructing. But in a group, Beth was as good as the sum of their strengths plus a little extra. Indeed, she was the best and most talented Chess player among them, but the emotional support and family-like connection they gave ended up making all the difference.

This sort of atmosphere is what employers should create in the workplace. Hostile workplaces are not good long-term for both the business and employees. Many people are struggling mentally, emotionally, and even physically on the job. Stress and burnout are now common themes associated with the workplace. As awareness of mental health issues is at an all-time high, we should ride the wave and implement structures to make the workplace a haven for healthy competition and collaboration.