(Drivebycuriosity) - In the recent days I have been binge watching the biopic "The Queen`s Gambit" on Netflix (imdb). A girl, nine years old, became an orphan and lands in an orphan home where she get`s introduced into chess. She has lots of talent and develops an obsession for the game which starts an astonishing chess career. The show follows her personal development & struggles and her steep rise in the world of chess (this is a spoil free blog. You can read a synopsis here wikipedia).
It was a real joy watching Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, the chess prodigy. She had me already impressed as leading character in "The Witch" (driveby ). The character is mesmerizing, super smart, sexy & highly ambitious; the beauty and the genius - and maybe a little bit also the beast. Tyler Cowen and other commenters see some Asperger traits, but why not ( marginalrevolution valneil ).
I had fun observing her when she destroyed her opponents in the tournaments, but I also liked other characters like the stoic Soviet champion Vasily Borgov (incarnated by Marcin Dorociński), her sweet, generous & caring foster mother, who acted almost as the big sister, (Marielle Heller as Mrs. Alma Wheatley ) and the geeks who supported Beth mentally and gave her advice.
The tournaments are dramatically staged - the camera often focuses on Taylor-Joy`s amazing eyes - waking my appetite to retry the game again sometimes. The cinematography captured the 1960s perfectly with fancy clothes and decadent Parisian hotels & bars, supported by a wonderful soundtrack with an eclectic selection of contemporary songs.
It seems that the fictional story seems got inspired by the career of legendary Bobby Fisher, the American answer to the Russians who dominated the world of chess then (wikipedia ). The show is a must see.
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