During Anya’s recent promotional run for The Menu, I thought it’s a good time to revisit the Queen’s Gambit. One of the most universally biniged/loved shows during the Covid pandemic lockdown.

I don’t think any of us had any idea of what we were getting into when we started the show. I didn’t watch the trailer or anything, I had no idea it had to do with chess. I don’t even know how to play chess.

We started with Beth’s journey in an orphanage. From early on we learned that Beth was a force to be reckoned with. She had had enough of the crap life had handed her.

There she encountered two things: chess and drugs. Mr. Shaibel introduced her to her first love of chess and she quickly realized this was going to the be one constant in her life. She was amazing at it, and she loved the way she figured it all out. Along side though she discovered substance abuse made her feel better, I’d like to go as far as to say that chess made the substance abusing more enticing.

We got different facets of Beth at different phases in her life. But the one constant was always chess. She was adopted, she started making money from tournaments, and eventually she became huge in the American chess community.

Life eventually did catch up with her, and she did eventually fall straight on her face metaphorically. She lost chess, all she had left was her substance abuse. How do you deal when you lose the one thing that gives you reason to breathe? The one thing you’re good at? As most television has it, someone comes back in and picks you up.

Beth got her shit together quick. She made her amends, she realized she wasn’t as good as she thought at chess. She let people into her life with the hopes that her vulnerability would be rewarded. Which it was. The circle Beth created around her was heart-warming, they all knew that what they had created was something special as well.

Probably one of my favourite episodes in television is the time Beth spent in Russia. We got a positive look at the makers on the Russian community, we saw her trying to integrate with international chess legends. But the best was when she won against Borgov. What’s even crazier is that this all happens during the Cold War era. The gratitude with which he congratulates her, I know its corny, but it’s also quite symbolic.
Of course me being me, I have to give a shout out to the soundtrack and the costume designers. Everything reflected whatever kind phase Beth was going through at the moment.

The Queen’s Gambit was a great refresher from start to finish, especially during a time when Netflix was struggling with its original series. It’s the perfect length, and it was neatly tied up with a bow and put away. Anya did a fabulous job in the show, I’m curious to see her future endeavours. The entire team did a great job at creating this miniseries.

Have you seen it? Maybe it’s time for a rewatch.