In 2020, the message about the value of seeing a woman win in a man’s world may seem a bit obvious (and given the whiteness of virtually everyone involved, limited) - but to its everlasting credit, “The Queen’s Gambit” is not about that.

It’s the 1960s - as evidenced by Beth’s Cleopatra eyeliner and kicky hat - the same decade when real-life child prodigy turned troubled but brilliant grandmaster Bobby Fischer was giving the United States one more weapon in its Cold War arsenal by beating Russians on his way to the world championship. I’m the girl who lost to Beth in the first round at the local tournament and then gave her a Kotex pad in the ladies’ room.Īctually, the character has a name, Annette Packer (Eloise Webb), and she shows up again a few episodes later to deliver a short but pivotal speech about how important it was to have been beaten by Beth because it proved that girls could do great things. The Netflix chess epic “The Queen’s Gambit ” has entered the stage of cultural ascendency in which people choose via Buzzfeed quiz or personal inclination which character “you are.” Sexy Benny ( “Love Actually’s” Thomas Brodie-Sangster), the chess cowboy who thinks for five minutes or so that he is better than prodigy Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy)? Loyal Harry (“Harry Potter’s” Harry Melling), who realizes early on that he isn’t even close and loves Beth anyway? Or super cool Jolene (newcomer Moses Ingram), the fellow orphan turned law student/civil rights activist who needs to have a series of her own?

How to play queen's gambit