Review of The Queen’s Gambit

By Dave B.

When her mother is killed, young Beth Harmon is sent to an orphanage in Kentucky where she encounters the two things that will most impact her life: chess and tranquilizers. As Beth gains fame for her brilliant and bold chess game, she spirals deeper and deeper into a drug and alcohol fueled darkness that threatens to destroy her career and her life. 

​At a minimum, a show about the world of chess needs to make audiences feel that the matches are intense and compelling. The Queen’s Gambit more than succeeds at this. In fact, one of the strengths of the show is that it makes chess seem fun, exciting, and high-stakes. I fully admit that I’ve been playing a lot more chess since watching this show. 

​Another of the show’s strengths is the cinematography. The Queen’s Gambit is gorgeous to behold. Each shot is crafted with care and really helps viewers feel what Beth is feeling. That quality is further helped by the show’s greatest strength: the performances. Specifically, Isla Johnston who plays Beth as a child, and Anya Taylor-Joy who plays Beth when she is older, are both absolutely fantastic. Beth is an odd and deeply troubled person, but Johnston and Taylor-Joy make her feel completely relatable and sympathetic. The Queen’s Gambit would not be half as enjoyable as it is, without their stellar performances.

That said, The Queen’s Gambit isn’t perfect. It’s pacing isn’t always great, which while slightly annoying, is not a deal-breaker for me. Also, it didn’t make sense to me that tranquilizers would improve a person’s performance at chess. At times, that makes that facet of Beth’s addiction feel a bit gimmicky. A bigger issue however, is that The Queen’s Gambit is extremely predictable. Very few surprises occur and the path of Beth’s life and career follow templates that have been done over and over in other rise-from-the-ashes stories. There’s never really any doubt about how things will turn out, which is what keeps The Queen’s Gambit from being truly great. 

​Overall, The Queen’s Gambit is entertaining, compelling, interesting, and I highly recommend it. With breakout performances and the care with which the show is shot, any viewer (regardless of their opinion of chess) can find something to love about The Queen’s Gambit. It’s absolutely worth your time to check out this show and I hope that, if you’re on the fence about doing so, you give this surprisingly good show a chance. 

​Service: Netflix
Episodes: 7
Approx. Episode Length: 55 Minutes
Rating: 7.5/10