SHE'S GOT ALL THE MOVES

The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy is being hailed as the breakout star of 2020

- LAVERN DE VRIES

FOR those who don’t know the rules, chess can seem boring – a long, slow game where two players seem to stare at the board more than move the pieces.

But that was before a Netflix show came along and put the charm into chess, making it as thrilling as a nail-biting Wimbledon final – and it doesn’t matter if you don’t know a king from a rook or a queen from a pawn.

The Queen’s Gambit is one of the shows reigning supreme on the streaming giant – and a lot of the credit can be heaped on the delicate shoulders of Anya Taylor-Joy, the actress who plays the brilliant but troubled chess prodigy Beth Harmon.

Beth, an enigmatic orphan, rises to the top of the male-dominated game in 1960s America, turning the chess world on its head with her killer outfits and intuitive game play.

Behind the scenes, however, she is falling apart as she battles a booze and pill addiction and grapples with her place in the world.

The Queen’s Gambit – the name of the oldest opening move in chess – is based on the novel by Walter Tevis and the show is part-fiction and partly based on the American author’s life.

Full of depth, beauty and glamour, it’s become the most-watched show in 92 countries. The series has also reignited interest in the game: chess set sales have soared in the US and the show has been praised by the chess community for the authenticity of game strategies.

It is Anya’s on-screen magnetism, however, that is the real winner. As Beth she both dazzles and destroys her opponents, fingers dancing across the chessboard as she pictures killer moves in her head.