Who is Harry Beltik in The Queen's Gambit?

The state champion who stayed to help · The Board

Harry Beltik (The state champion who stayed to help) is a character in The Queen's Gambit, part of The Board. Harry Beltik is Kentucky's state champion when an unknown orphan dismantles him in her first tournament — an experience he converts, unusually, into devotion: he turns up at her door years later with a suitcase of openings books and an offer to train her. Part coach, part boyfriend, part witness, Harry is the first to see the Methuen pills for what they are and honest enough to say the harder thing: she's better than him, and what she needs isn't more chess. He leaves better than he came — the show's gentlest minor piece.

When does Harry Beltik first appear?

Harry Beltik first appears in Season 1, Episode 2 (“Exchanges”) of The Queen's Gambit (2020, Netflix).

Which group does Harry Beltik belong to?

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

Who else is introduced in this episode?

• Alma Wheatley — The adoptive mother who found a business partner
• Townes — The first crush, across a chessboard

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