The Queen's Move - Walter Tevis (paperback)

Beth Harmon is a quiet, sullen and seemingly unremarkable eight-year-old girl who is sent to an orphanage after the death of her mother. She is deprived of love and emotional support. Her social circle is another orphan and a caretaker, he teaches Beth to play chess, which gradually becomes the meaning of life for her. As he grows up, the young genius begins to abuse tranquilizers and alcohol, thereby escaping reality. It is only while playing chess that her thoughts become clearer and she is able to regain control. At the age of sixteen, Beth became a participant in the US Open Chess Championship. But as she strives to hone her skills on a professional level, the stakes increase, her isolation takes on frightening proportions and her desire to escape reality becomes more seductive, and the moment comes when she must take on the best player in the world, will she be able to win or will she become a victim of her addictions? , as has happened in the past?