The Queen's Gambit
The Queen's Gambit
8.596%94%8.5
Orphaned at the tender age of nine, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But child stardom comes at a price.
Callum reviewedSeptember 17, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – The Queen’s Gambit – Every Move a Masterstroke
Some shows are simply good; others feel crafted. The Queen’s Gambit is the latter — a rare series that turns the quiet precision of chess into a symphony of obsession, elegance, and genius. What begins as a slow-burning character study quickly blossoms into one of the most gripping, emotionally charged dramas of the decade.
We follow Beth Harmon, a young orphan who discovers that the pieces on the board make more sense than the people around her. As she rises through the ranks, her story becomes as much about control as it is about competition — a constant balancing act between brilliance and breakdown. Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance is magnetic; she doesn’t just play Beth, she becomes her, every flicker of calculation behind those eyes a move in a much bigger game.
The production is exquisite — from the muted palettes of orphanage walls to the glimmering chess halls of Moscow, every scene is framed like a painting. The tension builds not through explosions or violence, but through silence, intellect, and the pounding rhythm of possibility. When the final match arrives, it’s electric. You don’t need to know the rules of chess to feel the pulse of every decision; you just know you’re watching greatness.
Beyond the board, it’s a story about isolation, addiction, and the cost of genius — how brilliance can consume as much as it creates. And yet, it’s never bleak. There’s a strange beauty in Beth’s struggle, a quiet triumph in every moment she refuses to break.
The Queen’s Gambit is television at its sharpest — strategic, emotional, and utterly consuming. The kind of series that makes you want to dust off an old chessboard and see if maybe, just maybe, you’ve got a grandmaster in you too.
🍷 Pairing: A glass of deep red Merlot — rich, deliberate, and smooth, with the kind of depth that lingers long after the last move is played.