Moving Pieces

Taking a break from Cobra Kai, I watched the Neftlix miniseries The Queen's Gambit.  Created by screenwriter Scott Frank (Get Shorty, Out Of Sight, Logan), it's based on a novel by Walter Tevis (The Hustler, The Man Who Fell To Earth).

It's the story of 1960s chess prodigy Beth Harmon, from her days in the orphanage through her development as a grandmaster. Big-eyed Anya Taylor-Joy is the lead, and she does a fine job carrying the show, with everyone else in supporting roles.

I've spent hundreds of hours watching YouTube videos analyzing chess games, so I'm generally fascinated by chess movies (Computer Chess, Pawn Sacrifice, The Luzhin Defence).  Of course, movies can't concentrate on any single game, that would be boring--it's got to be about the characters and their emotional crises. Further, chess has to be simplified somewhat in dramatic situations--the characters play faster (every game ends up being speed chess) and they almost always win or lose, even though in real tournaments draws are most common.

The look of the era is captured pretty well.  The story's pace rarely flags.  Overall, well worth checking out.

Now I think I'll go over to YouTube and watch Beth Harmon's games analyzed.