Who is Benny Watts in The Queen's Gambit?

The US champion in the duster coat · The Board

Benny Watts (The US champion in the duster coat) is a character in The Queen's Gambit, part of The Board. Benny Watts is the best player in America and dresses the part he invented: duster, knife on the belt, pirate hat, the swagger of a man who has read every Soviet game ever published. He beats Beth once, gets beaten properly thereafter, and converts rivalry into the series' most functional relationship: training partner, sometime lover, and the first person to talk to her about chess as work rather than miracle. Benny's New York basement — air mattress, speed chess, study like religion — is where Beth's talent grows discipline.

When does Benny Watts first appear?

Benny Watts first appears in Season 1, Episode 3 (“Doubled Pawns”) of The Queen's Gambit (2020, Netflix).

Who is Benny Watts connected to?

Relationships already established when Benny Watts first appears — nothing from later episodes.

• Beth Harmon — The US title, contested

Which group does Benny Watts belong to?

By the time Benny Watts appears, The Board also includes Townes, Harry Beltik.

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