SummaryThe seven-episode series based on Walter Tevis's novel of the same name follows young orphan Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) as she grows up and battles addiction while seeking to become the best chess player in the world during the Cold War.
Created By:Scott Frank, Allan Scott
The Queen's Gambit
Season 1 Premiere:
Oct 23, 2020
Metascore
Generally Favorable
79
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.4
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All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
86% Positive
24 Reviews
24 Reviews
14% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Oct 26, 2020
100
It is Anya Taylor-Joy, playing Beth from the age of 13 to 22 in a seemingly effortless metamorphosis, who makes Frank’s film work, particularly in the way she beautifully articulates the inwardness, the fury, and the intelligence of Tevis’ creation. ... The drama that matters most is played out not on a board but on Beth’s face and in her body language, and in her heart. And thanks to the stunning collaborative skill of Scott Frank and Anya Taylor-Joy, there’s never any doubt about what that heart holds.
Oct 21, 2020
90
It absorbs the viewer into the rarefied realm of world-class competition and acquaints the nonplayer with enough of the mechanics to make the outcomes accessible and meaningful. ... If there are awards to be had, Ms. Heller and Ms. Taylor-Joy should get them. ... Ms. Taylor-Joy is really the beginning and endgame of “The Queen’s Gambit,” and gives a performance that is as precisely physical as it is emotional.
User score
Universal Acclaim
88% Positive
568 Ratings
568 Ratings
6% Mixed
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
5% Negative
35 Ratings
35 Ratings
Oct 29, 2025
10
Greetings to the viewers. This series is very engaging. Although it really **** me in from episode one, from episode 2 to the end, you can't even give yourself a break and watch the next episodes. The story is well written and in a way that you won't get tired of it. The main character, Tori, is designed to sleep with everyone and it made me a little sad. But since the story points out why it's going this way, it's not surprising. The ending can be considered one of the best endings of the series in the last 10 years, and I personally highly recommend it.
Oct 23, 2020
88
Anchored by a magnetic lead performance and bolstered by world-class acting, marvelous visual language, a teleplay that’s never less than gripping, and an admirable willingness to embrace contradiction and ambiguity, it’s one of the year’s best series. While not without flaws, it is, in short, a triumph.
Oct 21, 2020
80
“The Queen’s Gambit” becomes very shrewd about its choices and keeps the narrative going at an impressively fast clip — making it a sharp, welcome contrast to the all too many lethargic streaming dramas out there.
Oct 21, 2020
70
“Gambit” never quite gets back to the charm of its Dickensian opening chapter, though, and it gets thinner as it goes along. Frank pulls off his combination of themes with a lot of old-Hollywood-style skill, but in the mix, neither the sports nor the personal-demons story line hits the levels of visceral excitement or emotional payoff that you might want. In the end, it was an admirable package that I wanted to love more than I did.
Oct 23, 2020
40
It is one of those expensive-looking period pieces that Netflix and Amazon money can do so well – swoon at the costumes and cars, purr with pleasure at the soundtrack. But the heroine at its centre is other-worldly to the point of annoyance.
Oct 26, 2025
10
"The Queen's Gambit" is a beautiful and moving story about a chess player and her journey through chess and herself.Anya Taylor-Joy was the PERFECT choice for Beth Harmon; her characterization was profound and unique!
A series well worth watching!
Jan 3, 2022
6
First of all I liked the actor play here especially how the main character Anya Taylor-Joy was playing. One time I was even impressed how accurate she was expressing her feelings. The only problem for me here is that with each next episode this TV show was becoming less realistic because more and more situations with the excessive empathy from almost every character to the main character were appearing. So at the end I had a feeling I'm watching some kind of typical melodrama. It is sad to rate "The Queen's Gambit" by 7 score when some few episodes ago I wanted to rate it by 8 or 9 but still it is the good TV show.
Dec 23, 2020
6
This should probably just have been a 2+ hour movie instead of a series. It drags out too much at times and there are many mini plots that never lead to anything. A very thin and predictable story, not great writing. It could've been so much better.
Dec 6, 2020
3
The most overrated series of 2020. Someone didn't do their homework about the era the series was set in.
Nov 24, 2020
3
Very repetitive after the first 3 episodes which were great the plot was very basic and and repetitive
