Plot

Back home in Kentucky, a shaken Beth reconnects with a former opponent who offers to help sharpen her game ahead of the U.S. Championship.

Beth remembers her mother's words that someday she will be all alone and will need to figure out how to take care of herself. Beth returns home to Kentucky and reconnects with Harry Beltik (Harry calls Beth and gives his condolences for losing to Borgov. he says that playing the close Sicilian was a mistake against Borgov. If she is going to play the Soviets, she will need help), who is attending college and has romantic feelings for her. Harry brings by a tonne of books, but Beth has already read them mostly. She tells Harry that she plays by gut instinct and she analyses games and not strategies. Harry counsels Beth that once she gets angry she gets closed minded about her plays, and corners herself into weak positions on the board.

Harry impresses upon Beth that Borgov could have beaten Beth when he was 10 yrs old and it will take a lot more work to beat him. He is a master of Sicilian defense and rook/pawn endings. He finds her tranquilizer pills in her bathroom. Borgov's wife (Janina Elkin), who is also his interpreter.. Borgov gives all his media interviews through her. Borgov knows he is pushing 40 and is combating kids half his age. He knows one day he will be beaten.

At Beth's suggestion, he moves into Alma's house to accompany the now lonely Beth. The two spend time training and sleep together a few times until Beltik realizes Beth's obsession with chess will always supersede any relationship they may have. The two part ways, as Beltik admits his passion for the game has waned. Beth is just too sharp for him and he cant keep up with her game speed. Harry leaves after giving Beth one final book on Morphy and says her game resembles Morphy's. Harry also indicates to Beth that just like her, Morphy was into substance abuse, but the following morning, would play his games like a shark. Beth meets her former high school tormentor Margaret in town now married soon after graduating. She now has a baby daughter and is fast becoming an alcoholic.

Beth travels to the 1967 U.S. Championship in Ohio, where she reunites with Benny Watts. Benny talks about the adventure of playing chess in the Soviet Union and says US people don't appreciate chess as a true sport. They both destroy their opponents. The evening before they are scheduled to face each other in the final game, Benny challenges Beth to several rounds of speed chess for five dollars each. An experienced speed chess hustler, he beats her consistently and cleans her out of all her cash. The next day, however, Beth defeats Benny to become the U.S. champion in 30 moves. The two discuss Beth's future in international competition (the US winner gets invited to the Moscow invitational tournament.. So a rematch with Borgov is on). Benny, recognizing that Beth needs both a role model and a trainer (she is a little afraid of going up against Borgov again), invites Beth to train for the Paris Invitational with him in New York City.