From a young age, I have had a liking for chess because of the complexity and strategic nature of the game. Each moved matters and if you aren’t careful, you can lose the game within the opening moves. I was surprised to say the least when I saw that Netflix created an original show regarding chess. 

Queen’s Gambit is a mini-series on Netflix based on Walter Tevis’s novel with the same name written in 1984. The show revolves around Beth Harmon, a woman who learned how to play chess at the young age of nine years old. Beth and others soon realize that she is an outstanding player and has a natural talent for the game.

Throughout the show, she competes against many different players and defeats almost all of them. The mini-series focuses on drug and alcohol abuse. Beth is a very intelligent individual, but she does drugs and drinks an excessive amount of alcohol to cope with what is in her head.

Additionally, the show gives specific insights into what Beth is dealing with emotionally. All of this combined will get people who are not into chess interested and want to know more about it and learn it.

Youtube entertainment reviewer, Jeremy Jahns said, “This mini-series is a miniseries worth loving.”

On the other hand, Queen’s Gambit is a rather slower show in the sense of no action. Even though there are no action sequences, that doesn’t mean that the show isn’t intense. At certain points, there is a lot of tension, so much that it will even get uninterested people focused for the time being.

All in all, Queen’s Gambit is a great Netflix mini-series that deals with drug and alcohol abuse as well as emotional pains. The show also contains some intense scenes. This is a great show for people who have a liking for chess or even just a love for dramas.