THE QUEEN’S GA MBIT REVIEW WRITTEN BY
Lauren Koleszar
ARTS
Doubtful that a show about people playing chess is as captivating as your friends insist? Our review covers not only why they’re right, but the history of the story, an analysis of the plot, and what makes the new Netflix miniseries outshine others.
when angered, as well as the way she instinctively
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cigarettes or alcohol. As the stakes rise, it becomes
T
he Queen’s Gambit” tells the story of chess prodigy Elizabeth Harmon, a nine-year-old orphan at the start of the Netflix miniseries, whose talent
blossoms during her secret weekly chess matches with the grandfatherly janitor in the basement. Years later, a 15-year-old Beth is adopted by an increasingly dysfunctional married couple, and she seeks opportunities to play chess and submerges herself into the game once again. When she begins competing in matches and earning local and state recognition for her victories, she tells a reporter that she is comforted by the confines of the chessboard. “I feel safe in it,” she says during the interview, “I can control it, I can dominate it. And it’s predictable. So if I get hurt, I only have myself to blame.” This glimpse into Beth’s character propels us into the conflict that drives the rest of the series forward and deems it highly watchable. As hinted by her reserved and cold nature as a child who is frequently separated from people she cares deeply about, Beth as a young adult remains averse to admitting her vulnerability. As her fame and skill increase dramatically throughout the next few episodes, we see how cold Beth can turn
pushes people away. While we hope and fear for Beth as she competes against chess champions with the objective of becoming a chess grandmaster, her inner struggle is even more harrowing. It seems that with every personal loss, Beth grows icier and increasingly turns toward stimulants—whether tranquilizing pills, frighteningly unclear whether she will become her own worst enemy when she finally has a chance at achieving world acclaim for her chess skills. Beth Harmon is unlike many protagonists we see onscreen. Styled in a striking ginger bob and impeccable wardrobe with perfect eyeliner, she has absolutely captivated viewers with her gorgeous and intimidating stage presence just as much as her character’s crystalline intellect and human flaws. It’s rare to see introverted characters on-screen and they are usually more popular in novel form. Unsurprisingly, “The Queen’s Gambit” started as a 1983 bildungsroman (check out our last issue for more on this coming-of-age genre) written by Walter Tevis, which explains why Beth has such depth of character. During the transition from book to movie, reserved characters are often brightened up for the screen in an effort to make them more watchable, but the writers for the Netflix adaptation kept Beth as she should be: withdrawn, intellectual, and fiercely vulnerable. Creator Scott Frank’s screenplay keeps Beth true to the novel and actress Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance is captivating and memorable. Set in 1960s USA and filled to the brim with detail, many viewers have wondered whether “The Queen’s Gambit” is based on a true story. Though the series is completely fictional, the history of the movie rights to the novel “The Queen’s Gambit” is fraught with suspense and tragedy, much like Beth’s own life. Journalists, actors, and directors were desperate for the film rights when the novel was published in 1983. New York Times journalist Jesse Kornbluth obtained the rights that year, but tragedy struck for everyone involved when Tevis died the following year, and the
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