A Blunder Down Under

Analyzing the chess scene in "Anyone but You"

There’s a brief scene in Anyone but You when Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and her ex-boyfriend Jonathan (Darren Barnet) reconnect over a game of giant chess. On the surface, it plays out like a throwaway segment: they mindlessly move pieces around while engaging in meaningless conversation. But when you study their game, things get… interesting.  

Now, I am no chess expert, so I used the Chess.com app to provide super-computer analysis of their match.

Jonathan begins by moving his pawn to the c4 square. This is called the English opening, which, according to Chess.com, is rather advanced. Most importantly though, it lends itself to a more patient rate of play. This reflects the tricky ground Jonathan is treading. He’s just shown up at his ex’s sister’s wedding and learned she’s dating a new, extremely hot guy named Ben. Based off some passing glances he shares with Bea, Jonathan—rightfully or not—believes not all hope is lost in rekindling their romance. But he can’t be sure, so he decides to play it cool and see how she reacts.

And she reacts by moving her pawn to e5. This move controls the d4 and f4 squares, which is fitting since she’s in control of two men.

The most rational response for Jonathan is to move his knight to c3, but he doesn’t. Instead, he moves his pawn to e4. This is actually a good move, because it takes space in the center, controls the d5 square again and allows the queen and light-squared bishop to develop. As the initiator of this impromptu chess match, Jonathan has a clear goal in mind: winning Bea back. Accordingly, his strategy is to show his mettle while also probing for any openings in Bea’s heart he can wriggle into. With all that said, the major takeaway from this move is this: Jonathan might actually be good at chess. Are his skills enough to woo her? We’ll see.

Bea then moves her pawn to c6. This is a mistake because she ignores a chance to get a piece off its starting square. It’s too early to draw conclusions about Bea’s intentions, but at the very least, it’s a signal of her hesitancy to pursue anything romantic with Jonathan. Unfortunately, his mad chess skills are not impressing her.

Jonathan moves his knight to c3. This is called the “Caro-Kann Defense opening.” I’m not sure what that means, but what I do know is Jonathan and Bea are playing totally different games. He’s a street musician performing Beethoven’s Ninth; she’s a passerby who doesn’t have any spare change. Continuing to intimate to Jonathan she isn’t into him, Bea moves her pawn to g5—yet another mistake, that overlooks an opportunity to develop a piece.

Note: The “No Results” message indicates Chess.com has no clue what these players are doing. As good as the program is at analyzing chess moves, it just can’t factor in the players’ feelings.^[1]

Jonathan responds by moving his pawn to f4—his first “miss” of the game, as he loses out on an opportunity to punish the opponent’s mistake. As uncharacteristic as this may seem, it perfectly mirrors his shortcomings as a romantic partner. At a later point in the movie, Bea explains to Ben that she broke up with Jonathan because things were “too comfortable,” and they “never fought.” Indeed, Jonathan confirms this by failing to attack her pieces because he is incapable of causing any conflict between them. So, he does nothing. He’s spineless and boring.

Before Bea can make her next move, Jonathan squeezes in one more of his own: he confesses to her that he’s been thinking about her.

Her expression is indiscernible as she meekly picks up her knight and plops it down on f6. This move prompted the “??” icon from the Chess.com super-computer. This is a “blunder”—a colossal blunder in the hot Australian sun. Not only does it lead to losing a pawn, but it also overlooks a chance to capture an undefended piece. It’s not like she was playing a good game to begin with, but Jonathan’s admission certainly must have thrown her off whatever rhythm she had. At the same time though, she was never going to attack Jonathan, because he’s just too nice of a guy and that’s not their dynamic. So, she too does nothing.  

They pause the game and Jonathan proceeds to tell her he’s missed her. He’s a fish floundering on the sidewalk. Bea quarter-heartedly returns the sentiment. She’s a pedestrian that splashes him with the rest of her iced tea.

“Now let’s have some fun,” she says, and they proceed to knock over all the pieces. At one point, we see Bea riding one of his knights like a horsey, which is… apt.

In the end, Bea and Jonathan play a terrible game of chess—maybe one of the worst ever. But it exposes a deep truth: they just aren’t right for each other.   

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^[1] Although, it would be cool if someone played a strange move and a message popped up saying like, “Oh, I’d go easy on this one. They’re having a rough day.” Or “Go for the throat. This guy is so annoying.”