I Just finished watching “The Queen’s Gambit” with Anya Taylor-Joy as Elizabeth Harmon on Netflix. It’s eight episodes and one of the best things I’ve seen this year and there has been some really stuff to watch. The long and short of the film is about a young girl who learns to play chess from the janitor in her orphanage and then goes out into the world to play. It takes place in the 50’s into the 60’s so there weren’t a whole lot of female chess players. I worried this would be a film dry as toast because of the subject matter…it was anything but that. The film was well done and very exciting. You worry that each game they showed would be like the one before that however the geniuses behind the film worked every game differently so no boredom ensued. Anya Taylor-Joy was brilliant and patient in the role of Liz Harmon. She exhibited great acting skill and finesse as her character progressed in the show. All around a really exceptional Netflix series, eight meticulously constructed episodes and no boredom to speak of as in some shows where they turn 8 great episodes into 12 uneven episodes. I give it a 10/10…virtually flawless. Highly advise for just about everyone and you don’t have to like chess to enjoy the series.
Beatrice Howard-Gabel