Quoting from https://the-queens-gambit.fandom.com/ : *> Alice Harmon* is the biological mother to Beth Harmon <https://the-queens-gambit.fandom.com/wiki/Beth_Harmon>
and the divorced wife of Paul <https://the-queens-gambit.fandom.com/wiki/Paul>. She received her PhD in mathematics from Cornell University, with the dissertation *> Monomial Representations and Symmetric Presentations*. She lived with her daughter in a trailer in Wakefield, Kentucky, until her vehicular suicide on 24th of July, 1957, leaving Beth orphaned.
Though not much is known about Paul, including whether or not he is actually the father of Beth? The title "Monomial Representations and Symmetric Presentations" sounds interesting, but snippets of Alice's dialogue in flashback suggest foul play on behalf of University Math Professors. Obviously Alice suffered from some sort of Trauma. Could Beth, in fact, be the illegitimate child of an over-enthusiastic Cornell dissertation advisor? Allegedly the TV-Adaptation was made from a book, but I am too busy reading hate mail and Bunraku plays to check and see if the source text has more details on Alice's conditions leading to suicide by vehicular accident. Be careful when driving, avoid inclement weather! --Brad