If you’re anything like me, you probably check Instagram and Twitter pretty often. This is how I find out about new music and new shows that I may not have known about. Recently, Netflix released a new limited series called The Queen’s Gambit, and social media is obsessed.
Anya Taylor-Joy, who you may know from films Emma or The New Mutants, plays fictional chess prodigy and main character Beth Harmon. The show takes place around the time of the Cold War, when tensions between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were at their highest. This was important in the show, because Russians are fantastic at chess.
The story follows Beth from the beginning of her time as an orphan, which occurred after the death of her mother in a car crash. She spends years at an orphanage, where she meets a custodian who plays chess. She starts off by watching him play, and he eventually takes her under his wing and teaches her the rules of the game. As Beth gets older, she realizes that she is extraordinary at chess.
The show covers a variety of other topics, like misogyny, racism, and drug and alcohol abuse. It’s not just about chess, meaning it’s not as boring as it seems. Half of the things going on in the actual chess games aren’t 100% important, but it’s definitely cool to watch when you know how the game works. I definitely know how to play chess, it’s the winning part that escapes me when I play.
Anyway, I loved this show. It’s fantastic. I would recommend it to anyone who likes watching TV shows and is okay with it being over after 10 episodes. It’s based on a book of the same name, so there won’t be more episodes after the first season. It’s sad, and I wish I could see more of Beth Harmon, but it’s understandable.