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An immense amount of people have enjoyed — most likely in one sitting — the gripping story of Beth Harmon on Netflix’s ‘The Queen’s Gambit’. Apparently, Beth’s passion for chess has led to heaps of viewers to turn to their favourite browsers looking for ways to learn more about the royal game. As shared by FIDE on Twitter:
It is very positive that people are googling en masse about #TheQueensGambit or about #Chess.
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) November 17, 2020
But it is even more exciting to see they are searching for "Learn Chess"! pic.twitter.com/1m2AkIvSEq
Not only that — plenty of reviews have praised the series on mainstream media. If you are hesitant to trust Albert Silver’s excellent review (published on a chess media outlet, after all), take a look at what has been written about the series elsewhere. We list a few of the many articles below. [Click images to enlarge.]
Mike Hale for the New York Times
[Scott] Frank wraps it all up in a package that’s smart, smooth and snappy throughout, like finely tailored goods. The production has a canny combination of retro Rat Pack style, in its décors and music choices, with a creamy texture, in its performances and cinematography, that is reminiscent of another Netflix period piece, “The Crown.”
How I became World Champion Vol.1 1973-1985
Garry Kasparov's rise to the top was meteoric and at his very first attempt he managed to become World Champion, the youngest of all time. In over six hours of video, he gives a first hand account of crucial events from recent chess history, you can improve your chess understanding and enjoy explanations and comments from a unique and outstanding personality on and off the chess board.
Allison Shoemaker at RogerEbert.com
The Queen’s Gambit,” Scott Frank’s adaptation of Walter Tevis’ coming-of-age novel of the same name, absolutely demands the use of “thrilling.” 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.
Lucy Mangan for The Guardian
It looks gorgeous, the main performances are superb, the vital chess exposition neatly done and the true meaning of each game to Beth is made clear, whether spiritual battle, learning curve, inner reckoning, occasional flirtation, retreat from or re-emergence into the world. However, without the anchoring point of a true story behind it all, it has the feeling of a fairytale rather than the sports movie or biopic its trajectory and tropes keep pointing viewers towards.
Master Class Vol.11: Vladimir Kramnik
This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) how to successfully organise your games strategically, consequently how to keep y
Rachel Syme for the New Yorker
What makes “The Queen’s Gambit” so satisfying comes in large measure from the character Taylor-Joy brings to screen: a charming, elegant weirdo who delivers her lines with a cool, wintergreen snap, and never really reacts the way one might expect. [...] The chess masters Garry Kasparov and Bruce Pandolfini, who consulted on the show, taught Taylor-Joy how professionals move the pieces along the board, but, as she told the magazine Chess Life, she developed her own way of gliding her hands across the board.
