This month Verve’s star teen reviewer Lucy Kennedy takes a look at coming-of-age miniseries, The Queen’s Gambit.
The Queen’s Gambit
16+
Orphaned Beth Harmon is a solemn nine-year-old girl with high aspirations who sets her sights on being a master chess player. It takes a frustrating amount of time for those around her to realise her potential, but once they do, she’s thrust into stardom as the latest chess genius. She plays multiple people at once, winning endless rounds of speed-chess, and defeats players decades older than her.
The series follows Beth’s career as she grows up, battling not only the players on the other side of the board but her own demons, too. She’s constantly undermined by those around her due to her being a girl, which becomes increasingly irritating as the show progresses, highlighting the struggles of being female in male-dominated fields. Several times throughout the series, Beth is told that “there’s no women’s section here”, or asked “are you sure you can do this?”
We witness the high and low points of Beth’s life. While she is an extraordinary chess player, she also struggles with alcoholism and drug abuse. The series deals with grief and getting mental health help during a time (the 1950s) when it was not often talked about or prioritised. Snippets of Beth’s background are revealed, too – what, exactly led her to living at the orphanage?
The show depicts chess as the competitive art that it is, rather than as a pastime. It immediately made me want to call up a friend and play chess, which I did. Visually, it’s a real pleasure, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys chess or who is searching for a something wonderful with an amazing musical accompaniment.
Available to stream on Netflix
4/5 stars
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