# The Queen's Gambit (2020)

> A gifted orphan girl in 1950s America discovers a talent for chess and fights her way toward the championship while battling addiction.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/74502

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 7
- Episode runtime: 59 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Scott Frank, Allan Scott
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chloe Pirrie, Matthew Dennis Lewis, Russell Dennis Lewis, Sergio Di Zio, Dolores Carbonari, Jonjo O'Neill, Madeline Holliday
- TMDB rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10048342/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, contemplative, tense, triumphant

## What critics say

Widely acclaimed for Anya Taylor-Joy's lead performance, its period production design and its absorbing chess sequences, though its final episodes are sometimes seen as convenient.

## Synopsis

The Queen's Gambit is a United States limited series created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott for Netflix. Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Beth Harmon, a withdrawn orphan who discovers an astonishing gift for chess after being placed in a Kentucky orphanage. Chloe Pirrie plays Alice Harmon, the adoptive mother whose life shapes Beth's path. Beth's engine is simple and driving: she wants to master the game, while substance dependence and emotional wounds threaten to undo her at every tournament. The seven episodes move from one hard-won match to the next, each a tense contest on the board and a private struggle off it. Set in 1950s America, the story moves through orphanage corridors, small-town competitions and glamorous hotel rooms, with a period texture that feels both elegant and lonely. The tone is contemplative and absorbing, carrying a quiet melancholy beneath its triumphs. Viewers who enjoy Mad Men, Lady Bird and Bloodline will find resonance in its portrait of ambition, damaged family ties and a woman pushing against the expectations of her era.

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