The Queen's Gambit - Season 1

What an endearing and addictive television series. Everything about this miniseries seems to be right. In seven episodes, the viewer discovers the world of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy, Peaky Blinders). Beth is an orphan who discovers chess in the basement of the orphanage. Her focus becomes completely and obsessively on this game. Her goal is to dominate the chess world and become the best of them all. The tragedy of her mother's death and the fact that she is given tranquilizers by the same orphanage are the biggest threat to her success. At first, the tranquilizers seem to curb her pent-up anger and strengthen her focus on chess. However, when she is adopted by a grumpy man and an alcoholic woman, her dilemma becomes even greater. The Queen's Gambit constantly balances between these two choices, addicted to the game or to alcohol and drugs. Beth knows few nuances, so it seems to be one or the other.



The greatest strength of The Queen's Gambit is Anya's convincing acting. Her facial expressions may say more than all her lines. The naive girl remains partly naive, but is also a wonder of the world when it comes to her chess talent. Incidentally, the young Beth is played just as convincingly by Isla Johnston (Kiri). Rarely have I seen such a good match. Both have the power to let their faces, but especially their eyes, speak. Growing up has a number of stages that are very well portrayed. The visual aspect of this television series is dazzling. Not by bright images, but precisely by exercising restraint, the zeitgeist of the fifties and sixties is perfectly captured. The inventive way of letting Beth dream about chess is stylishly and powerfully captured. Just like the brief flashbacks to her mother's death. It ensures that the viewer remains on the edge of their seat until the end. The question remains whether it will be a happy ending or a disastrous ending.

The question remains whether it will be a happy ending or a disastrous one.

The art of this series is that Beth leads a reasonably normal, but somewhat troubled life on the one hand. The different stages of child, orphan, adolescent and budding young adult all pass by. This part of life is recognizable to every viewer in a certain way. It is also palpable through the game and the setting. Something is brewing and the cause, the death of her mother, hangs over Beth like a dark blanket. In addition, Beth grows, initially with the help of the elusive caretaker of the orphanage, into a chess prodigy. The world full of men ensures that there is also attention for a clash between the sexes. Certainly quite unusual at that time. In that sense, Beth's life is also a kind of chess game. Her opponents play their game and some of them also have an impact on their private life. The fact that Beth's feelings also seem to be black and white in this makes for quite remarkable relationships.



Ultimately, the question is whether Beth will get colour or sink further into her dark black side. To find out, it is an absolute must to watch The Queen's Gambit. The series by Scott Frank, which is based on the eponymous novel by Walter Trevis from 1983, suddenly makes chess very accessible and, in a certain way, sexy. The zeitgeist is captured perfectly and the story seems so lifelike that you will immediately check after the series whether Beth Harmon really existed. You can't give a television series more credit.