The Lead Track from The Queen’s Gambit Score Will Get You Hyped for Chess

It’s no secret that I love The Queen’s Gambit. And an essential—yet too often overlooked—component to any great TV show or film is its score. How do you make chess exciting for casual viewers in a narrative context? Well, a lot of great editing, which Netflix’s limited series provides. But that has to be augmented by careful composed music.

“I have always loved underdog tales like Rocky, or Rudy. The moment I read Scott Frank’s teleplay, I knew getting to work with him in telling Beth Harmon’s story would be one of the great thrills of my life,” says Emmy-winning composer Carlos Rafael Rivera in a press statement. “It was something special, and to say the least, challenging, as we were going to have to make the game of chess exciting on screen for those who play it—and even for those who don’t.”

Rivera adds, “Having such a complex protagonist as Beth Harmon, I wanted to avoid writing a ‘Beth Theme,’ but rather themes for different aspects of her character: addiction, genius, mischief, growth, etc. By resorting to these, I could apply and develop them throughout the seven episodes, as Beth herself developed, helping create a more holistic representation of her character.”

“I am ever grateful to Scott for trusting in me to bring all of these musical ideas, that slowly developed throughout each episode, into a fully matured state, playing into one very tense, dramatic, and ultimately exhilarating ending,” says Rivera.

In the “Main Title,” which you can listen to below, Rivera’s swirling symphonic melody plays over a darkly complicated percussive base that suggests many things: Beth’s dual natures, the heart-pounding nature of her chess matches, and something distinctly Russian—they being the masters of the game, after all. Like the show, it’s exceptional: