Halfway through The Queen’s Gambit, Benny Watts, the top U.S. chess player with swagger, confidence, and sharp wit, asked Beth why the Soviets were so dominant.
Beth said something to the effect that they start playing so young, but that wasn’t the answer. Benny said it’s because they help each other. In America, the individual is king. In the Soviet Union, the players all supported each other. A win for Borgov was a win for everyone. Whereas in the U.S., a win for Benny was very much a loss for Beth.
It wasn’t until Beth had the help of several talented men behind her, one who wanted to see her win, teach her the tangibles to go with her impossibly brilliant gifts as a genius.
The lesson is we can’t be afraid to ask for help in our pursuits, in our writing. Jealousies and resentments run deep in writing, but imagine if we celebrated the way Beth’s team did when she finally beat Borgov, her win was their win. What if instead of seeing someone else’s success as taking away from you, what if you celebrate the possibility? What would happen if we all helped each other to help us see things we can’t see on our own?
It doesn’t make us weak, the giver or the receiver. We can manifest our gifts if we have the courage to ask for help or the generosity to go one step further: Offer it unconditionally.
