Can You Watch The Queen’s Gambit if You Don’t Know Chess?
You really should ‘check’ out this show.
There’s something really special about a show that can make something that should be a little mundane — maybe even boring — interesting and exhilarating to watch. The Queen’s Gambit is a really fun limited series. And I’m saying fun, knowing full well that the show is about the tortured reality of obsession, loneliness, and substance abuse.
The show tells us the story of Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy who becomes an orphan after the death of her mother and quickly enters the tumultuous world of professional chess. It’s based on a novel by the same name by Walter Tevis and it stars Anya Taylor Joy. What I thought would be a casual watch, ended up making me sit up and take notice of the show and its refreshing storyline. I couldn’t stop until I finished it. It’s so refreshing to see a series where chess takes center-stage when all we’ve seen so far are a bunch of movies based on popular athletic sports like basketball, football, cricket, or even hockey.
For the first time ever, there is a mainstream series that has been made about chess in such a magnificent way, and that too on a premium OTT platform like Netflix. Here, chess is the hero and not just an accessory to the story. You get to see what actually goes on in a game of chess and how a young chess player becomes a great chess player. There’s a ton of nail-biting chess games which is quite fascinating if you’re someone who loves chess.
Beth Harmon’s character is someone who is quiet, detached, and fairly unremarkable until she discovers her incredible talent for chess. What stands out is not just her talent, but her passion and her dedication towards the game, her obsession with winning and improving, and her curiosity to learn from everyone. Even while sleeping, her dreams are made of checkered boards and potential moves. She eats, breathes, and sleeps chess. Despite struggling with inner demons such as the death of her mother, substance abuse, and other difficulties of life, she still finds a way to become a chess stalwart.
A defining element of the story is the relationships that Beth forms over the years. Although she is somewhat of a social recluse, she has a special bond with her trainer, her adoptive mother, her friends, and her colleagues. In particular, her emotional connection with her trainer is very endearing. It is such a subtle portrayal of how affection and care are expressed silently, with just chess being the topic of communication.
Another theme that is touched upon, is how during those days much importance was given to the fact that she was a woman excelling at a male-dominated sport, and how over time, she proves her merit, forcing everyone to take note of her skill instead of her gender. The best part about the writing of the show is that they treated her like they would a man. The writers didn’t overly sexualize her, they showed her with love interests but it never took away focus from the main plot, they made her intelligence the focal point, and they showed her having positive experiences with other women which is something that never happens in most ‘feminist’ shows. Also, I love how none of the characters who could have easily been made villains were instead allowed to be complicated people who had a complex but important impression on Beth.
Let’s lay it out there: chess is not a physical sport; it’s all in the mind. This makes it difficult to bring out that element of drama convincingly because there is not a ton of action happening apart from moving wooden pieces on a board. The players themselves do not give away any intense emotions and stick to subtle changes in their body language. But somehow, the makers have done a brilliant job at capturing and dramatizing the high tension in those chess tournaments, and the absolute obsessiveness that the game can inspire. The chess sequences are electrifying and one gets compelled to watch more of it.
For those of you who don’t know much about chess need not fret. There’s a lot of chess but I but you don’t need to be a chess player to enjoy the show at all. For the more advanced chess aspects shown in the series — the background score, the editing, the acting — all play a part in giving you a sense of what’s going on.
This show has drama, passion, strong and engaging characters, and outstanding performances. If nothing else, watch it to follow Beth Harmon’s journey, her dilemmas, the intense games, and personal conflicts.
