One of the best original series that Netflix has in its catalog is queen’s gambit, the chess series that during the pandemic popularized the science game and even to this day, continues in the minds of all people.
So, today you will have a review with everything you need to know about this mini-series that tells the fictional story of Beth Harmon, a spectacular chess player.
Review Queen's Gambit
Elizabeth Harmon is a girl who is orphaned when her mother dies in a car accident, and is taken to an orphanage where the children are given tranquilizer pills so they can obey the staff.
One day Elizabeth is cleaning the blackboard erasers and meets the orphanage janitor, Mr. Shaibel, who would end up teaching Elizabeth how to play chess after repeated requests.
Harmon improves rapidly due to his obsession with the game, while the tranquilizers help him concentrate and play games better.
Days later, Harmon would meet the local high school chess master, who would invite her to teach a simultaneous against his students, Elizabeth Harmon would tell Shaibel that she defeated them in one hour and forty-five minutes.
Due to a new law prohibiting children from receiving tranquilizers in orphanages, Harmon goes into withdrawal, so she decides to steal a bottle of pills and overdoses and passes out.
As a result, Harmon is forbidden to play chess, and is adopted as a teenager by the Wheastleys. One day, Beth realizes that her mother is taking the same tranquilizer pills she took at the orphanage, so she starts taking them secretly and replaying chess games in her mind.
At a certain point she enters her first chess tournament with money she borrowed from Mr. Shaibel, in this tournament she falls in love with one of her biggest opponents, an older young man named D.L Townes.
After the first day of the tournament, upon returning home, Harmon learns that Mr. Wheastley has abandoned Mrs. Wheastley and Elizabeth is afraid that she will be returned to the orphanage, however, her adoptive mother tells her that they will lie so that she can stay.
Back at the tournament, in the last round against Harry Beltik, Elizabeth gets nervous and goes to the bathroom and takes a tranquilizer pill and then returns to the game and wins brilliantly.
When Harmon returns home, her adoptive mother begins to create a plan so that they can travel across the country with the prize money from the chess tournaments.
So they then stay at a hotel in Cincinnati and Harmon wins the tournament easily, so her mother asks for 10% of the prize money as her agent, but Harmon gives her 15%.
Elizabeth continues to skip school, to travel across the country and gains national recognition, returning to a social event, Elizabeth realizes she has nothing in common with other girls and runs away, but first steals a bottle of alcohol.
Already in 1966 Harmon must travel to Las Vegas for the U.S. Championship where he is reunited with his first love D.L. Townes who is now the journalist who will cover the match, then in one of the rounds of the tournament, it must face Benny Watts, who is the undisputed champion and it is here where Harmon experiences one of his first defeats.
Then Harmon travels with her adoptive mother to Mexico, where she participates in an exclusive tournament and competes against many international players, in an elevator she hears how Vasily Borgov talks about her and underestimates her.
The next day Beth plays against Borgov and after an intense game, she loses and returns to the hotel. Unfortunately, her adoptive mother dies of hepatitis.
Harmon returns to her home in Kentucky and it is here that she talks again with Harry Beltik, who moves to the Wheastley's house to train Harmon and they end up having a relationship, however, Beltik realizes that chess will always be Harmon's priority, so he abandons her.
By 1967 it is again the US Championship where Beth defeats her old archenemy Benny Watts, but instead of creating enmity, Watts invites her to train in New York for the international tournament in Paris.
While staying in the Big Apple, Harmon stays sober and Watts helps her improve her game, where she also meets several of Benny's friends including a model named Cleo, who at one point confesses that she had a crush on Benny.
Already in Paris, Harmon makes her way with many victories until reaching the last round with Borgov, but, it is that night where Cleo also arrives in Paris and invites her to drink alcohol, so Harmon relapses into her addiction to alcohol and pills.
Harmon wakes up late the next day with a hangover and ends up losing his game against Borgov in a few moves.
Back home, her adoptive father, Mr. Wheastley extorts her to buy his house, and days later, her childhood friend Jolene, informs her that Mr. Shaibel has passed away, so they both go to the funeral and even go back to the orphanage, where Harmon confronts the ghosts of her past and realizes how much Mr. Shaibel appreciated her.
Then, Harmon refuses funding from a christian organization because it requests a public statement to which Harmon does not agree, so he asks Jolene for a loan and she accepts.
Harmon travels to Russia to play in Moscow against the best grandmasters of the time and in the last round he plays against Borgov, whom he surprises by playing a queen's gambit.
The match is postponed after move forty in a complicated position, and this is where Beth meets D.L. Townes again and receives a call from Watts who puts together a team to analyze her postponed game against Borgov.
Harmon, takes many notes of the different variations and ideas his friends mention to him and the next day wins his game against Borgov in majestic fashion. Then, on the way to the airport, she observes how there are many old people playing chess in a square, and they realize who she is, so they invite her to play and with this scene ends the first season of queen's gambit.
Is the Queen’s gambit still on Netflix?
Yes, the serie queen’s gambit is still available on the streaming platform, this is because it is a Netflix original series.
How many episodes is the Queen’s gambit on Netflix?
The mini-series of Beth Harmon's life and career, has 7 episodes available.
- Opening
- Exchanges
- Doubled Pawns
- Middlegame
- Double attack
- Postponements
- Endgame
IMPORTANT: All the names of these episodes are related to the game of chess.
What Channel is the Queen’s gambit on?
Currently, Queen’s Gambit is only available on the Netflix streaming platform.
Is The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix Canadá?
Yes, the serie is available on Netflix Canada from October 23rd, 2020.
Where do i watch the Queen’s gambit?
To watch queen’s gambit, you will need to purchase a Netflix account, regardless of the plan you have included, as the mini-serie is currently only available on the streaming platform.
Is Queen’s gambit kid friendly?
This is a nice mini-series, it contains no violence, but there is a main theme related to alcohol and drugs that can be a problem when dealing with children, which is why Netflix recommends and gives it a +16 rating.
It's not just a serie about chess, it also deals with obsession, and the personal relationships of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy). So she is seen in tense situations and substance abuse.
It is not really recommended for children, but if you are looking for an option that inspires the little ones at home, we recommend the following films.
- In Search of Bobby Fisher
- Critical Thinking
- The Gentlemen from the South Bronx
Is Queen Gambit a true story?
No, queen's gambit is a fictional novel created by writer Walter Tevis. It was first seen in 1983 and involves feminism, chess, and addiction to substances harmful to health.
Is the Queen Gambit on prime?
No, the chess mini-series is not on Amazon Prime it is only available on Netflix.
Is it better to accept or decline Queen’s Gambit?
To test the white player's knowledge, it is always best to accept the gambits. This way you can refute them on the board, however, if you have no idea of the white player's plan, you can always develop your pieces under the main concepts of chess.
What is the most agressive chess opening?
The most aggressive opening in chess is the king's gambit, where there are many dangerous variations that can complicate the player with black pieces. But, the white player needs to show compensation in exchange for the pawn offered as a sacrifice in order to develop and attack quickly.
Note: Former world champion and chess legend Bobby Fischer once mentioned the line that supposedly refutes the King's Gambit.
What is the best defense against the Queen’s Gambit?
Statistically speaking, the King's Indian defense has a very high winning percentage against the Queen's gambit, however, the most popular defense against d4 is the Slav defense.
What should i watch after Queen’s gambit?
The Netflix mini series revolutionized the way the world sees chess, and even many people who saw it as boring became interested in this sport, and if you want to see more chess related content I recommend the following movies.
- The female chess player
- Pawn sacrifice/master move
- Life of a King
- Brooklyn Castle
- The Luzhin Defense
How much is Netflix Price per month
Netflix has the following monthly packages
Basic: $9.99 USD
Standard: 15.99$ USD
Premium: 19.99$ USD
IMPORTANT: Netflix is working on a new basic package with ads for only 6,99$ USD per month. While the standard plan for DVD and Blu-Ray would be $9.99 USD per month and the premium would be $14.99 USD per month.
Why is the show called the Queen’s gambit?
The mini-series is named after the novel on which it was based, however, in theory, a gambit in chess is a pawn sacrifice made for better development and comparing it to the series we can see that Beth Harmon sacrifices part of her life for chess.
How can i get Netflix free?
It is not possible to get Netflix for free, unless by illegal means you can obtain an account or have a friend, family member or acquaintance lend you a screen or account.
How much does Netflix cost?
Netflix has different packages for every economic status, and these start from 10$USD per month up to 20$USD.
Is the Queen Gambit on Amazon?
No, unfortunately, Queen’s Gambit is not available on Amazon Video or Amazon Prime.
Is Netflix 199 plan Good?
The 199 plan is the basic plan for people in India, this is a limited plan that can only be accessed by one device at a time. It allows users to access the entire Netflix catalog in 480P resolution.
Important: with this plan the user also has access to mobile games and downloading content for offline viewing.
So, yes, it is a good plan if you do not require a family or standard plan with additional screens.
Which Netflix plan is Good?
From the basic plan to the most advanced, any Netflix plan is good, the platform has enough quality and everything will depend on what you need in your life.
Netflix covers from couples to singles and families, with settings for children's accounts (restricted content) or free content recommended for +21. So it's a matter of thinking about which plan is right for you and your financial possibilities.
Is Netflix free with Amazon prime?
No, Amazon Prime is not related in any way to Netflix and therefore, by purchasing Amazon Prime you will only be able to watch content from that platform.
This has been all you need to know about the Queen's Gambit, we hope you have been able to solve your doubts and we invite you to read other related articles.
One Response
I put the chess software on my laptop and played one against the other making a study of it how each one moves against the other. So very enlightening. I have a spiral notebook of each game and moves and then I used the analysis function to study the game further for about 6 months