The Queen’s Gambit Episode 1: Openings

Drama Mini-Series on Netflix

Perfect for: drama & romance, binge watching, chess prodigy wanna-be’s

The Queen’s Gambit is not only the name of Netflix’s wickedly wonderful seven-episode miniseries, but one of the oldest openings in chess involving the most powerful piece on the board. If you’re not sure what an opening is, don’t worry, you’ll soon find out. Winning the 2021 Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and seen by 62 million households within one month of its October 23, 2020 release, this story of an orphaned girl turned brilliant yet self destructive chess prodigy has ignited a newfound curiosity for a whole new era of chess fans and rekindled interest for many wanting to play the game.

Episode one, Openings, begins with a mop of fiery, red hair bursting above the rim of a golden tub in a dimly lit 1967 Paris bathroom. Disheveled and distressed, Elizabeth Harmon (Beth), the show’s fictional heroine and the owner of this messy red mane, pulls herself out of the water and tears open the velvet drapes of her swanky Parisian suite. Throughout the episode, you’ll be entranced by the beauty of scenes like these thanks to the work of cinematographer Steven Meizler. 

After the drapes are hastily thrown open, the daylight pours in. Shooters of vodka litter the chess board prominently displayed on the coffee table. Beth reaches for a capsule of little green pills while simultaneously grabbing a “chess piece” to wash them down. Director Scott Frank’s “show-don’t-tell” approach of this shot gives you a glimpse into Beth’s personality and lifestyle. What happened to her the night before? Why is she waking up in a bathtub? What are those little green pills? What is she doing in Paris? If you want these questions answered, you’ll have to keep watching. After finishing this episode, my grandfather, college roommates, and sister all went on to binge watch the rest of the show in a matter of days. My dad even Amazon Primed a book on chess openings. 

Openings flips from Beth’s present to her past. Out with five star room service and in with, well, I’m not really sure: something that resembles the sad looking mystery meat the lunch ladies used to plop onto my plate in middle school. Beth’s younger years and her time growing up in an orphanage are the main focus of this episode. You get a glimpse of Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance as Beth in the first few minutes but will be equally satisfied with the young Isla Johnston as she plays Beth at the age of nine. The varying perspectives invest you in Beth’s story and show you how she came to be. 

From the get go, writers Scott Frank and Allan Scott deliver colorful characters based on those in Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel “The Queen’s Gambit”. Moses Ingram plays Jolene, Beth’s one and only friend in the orphanage who’s as crude as she is stubborn. Upon meeting Beth, she asks, “Your momma and daddy dead? What’s the last thing they said to you before they died? I ask everybody that, we’re used to really fun answers.” Then there’s Mr. Shaibel, the mysterious janitor who teaches Beth how to play chess. This cast of misfits is a group you can (and will) root for.

Openings’ curious script, cunning characters, and captivating cinematography pull you in and compel you to keep watching. It introduces you to both a powerful game and story, and you won’t be able to help becoming addicted to both. One of the joys of the show is that you don’t have to be a player to enjoy it. But if you, like Beth, find yourself wanting to know more… Go ahead and login to whoever’s Netflix account you use, order a chess board, and get ready to watch the game of chess be explained through a refreshingly modern perspective. As Beth Harmon would say, “let’s play.”