The Queen's Gambit Review - 8 Ups & 1 Down

The Queen’s Gambit is the new show everyone is talking about, but is it as good as the hype suggests?

The 7-part limited series was released on Netflix late last month, and has already captured the world’s attention, gathering widespread acclaim and very high viewership for the streaming service.

The series is based off the novel of the same name, written by Walter Tevis, the writer of other acclaimed books, such as The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Hustler and The Color of Money.

And, like The Hustler, the series deals with such themes as addiction and sportsmanship, centring on the life of a young woman, Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) in the late 1950s to 1960s, as she strives to become the world’s greatest Chess player, all while struggling with personal problems, including a troubling drug addiction.

The series has been adapted by Scott Frank (who previously collaborated with Netflix on the acclaimed, Emmy-winning miniseries, Godless (2017)), who directs and writes all the episodes, and features an ensemble cast, including Bill Camp, Marielle Heller, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Harry Melling, and many others.

It always had great potential, but The Queen's Gambit is as close to perfect as it gets.