The Queens Gambit is a show on Netflix that goes through the life of one of the most brilliant chess players ever to live, who also happens to be a female. It shows Beth Harmon’s life and the struggles she faces with drug and alcohol addiction and being an orphan, and how she battles those adversities to reach her goal of being the best chess player ever.

The show starts excitingly when it shows you a glimpse into Beth’s future, then goes back and shows how she became an orphan when she was just a little girl. The producers do an outstanding job of forming Beth’s character early on and getting a sense of who she is and her goals from the beginning. They make it obvious how she got to where she is and uses excellent detail, so you are not left wondering what happened in her early life.

The Queens Gambit also shows how women can struggle with addictions as well. This was interesting, seeing as many shows with addiction tend to be men, but Queens Gambit shows a female facing addiction. It also shows how her addiction affects her and makes people look differently about her.

Set in the 1960’s Queen’s Gambit is impressive because they portray a woman rising to fame when competitive activities were male-dominated. The show also does an excellent job of showing how hard it was for her to get where she is.

The angles and picture of Queens Gambit are probably some of the best I have ever seen. They do an excellent job of showing essential parts of scenes, and the camera angles complement the feeling of the mood set by the characters.

The show does a perfect job of developing characters and showing just how important they are. In some shows people have seen in this time of COVID, sometimes you ask, “What does that person do for the show.” In Queens Gambit, It never once makes you question because everyone in the show shaped Beth as a person and the display tells you exactly how they affect her and leave no questions. There are also no unnecessary characters. Every character is there for a reason and has their background explained.

The Queens Gambit is an excellent show, and I recommend it to anyone who needs something to watch. It is by far the best show I have observed in these times of COVID.

Chris Huslig is a freshman Digital Communications student and joined JCOM in 2021