Is "The Queen’s Gambit" Worth Your Time?

Beth Harmon is a nine-year-old orphan, she is a chess prodigy and she is addicted to tranquilizers. The Queen’s Gambit follows the life of chess prodigy Beth Harmon into her adulthood as she struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. Both the show and the book, by the same name, begin just after Beth Harmon’s mother dies in a car accident and she is sent to the Methuen Home for orphaned children. It is in the Methuen Home where Beth is first introduced to chess and drugs. 

The Netflix miniseries, consisting of seven episodes, became the most-watched miniseries on the service after only four weeks. Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance as Beth Harmon is captivating and rich and is one of the strongest aspects of the show. After the seven-episode run, I found myself suddenly interested in chess, something I had no interest in before. 

The show’s ability to make the seemingly boring game of chess so exhilarating is a testament to how effective it is in drawing the audience into the chaotic life of Harmon. Another captivating aspect of the show was its beautiful cinematography and costume design. Overall, it is such a binge-able series that is constantly leaving you on the edge of your seat wanting more. It truly is a phenomenal character study on Beth Harmon over the years as she struggles with addiction in all its forms.

After finishing the miniseries, I decided to pick up the book to see for myself if the Netflix adaptation was up to par. The book, too, truly is a page-turner and hits all the right amounts of suspense and emotional investment. Like the show, the book is, at its core, an emotional character study on Beth Harmon. 

Although I finished the book relatively quickly as it was constantly engaging, I personally prefer the miniseries for a few reasons. Without the visuals of chess seen in the miniseries, I found that all the chess language in the book was a bit daunting and hard to follow as someone who does not play chess. The book often spent multiple paragraphs just describing the chess games, and for people who are not familiar with chess, that can be a bit much. 

Overall, both the book and the miniseries are excellent depictions of addiction and feminism. While I personally prefer the show over the book, I think both are worth your time and you’ll find yourself constantly engaged in both Beth Harmon’s chaotic life and the game of chess.