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.
Denne historien er fra 10 December 2020-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra 10 December 2020-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BALLON IN THE BAG
Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante says his Ballon d'Or win is a victory for Spanish football
IT WAS ALL A LIE
A new doccie exposes the Grey's Anatomy writer who fabricated her life story
'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'
After her husband, anticorruption activist Alexei Navalny, was poisoned and murdered by the Kremlin, she became the public face of Russia's opposition. In this candid interview Yulia Navalnaya opens up about life on the run, her perilous family life and why she's continuing her husband's fight to save their country
AGREE TO DISAGREE
Trevor Noah on how his childhood squabbles with his mother inspired his delightful new book
PAUSE THE CLOCK
Researchers have discovered that the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60. Here's what you can do to slow it down
MPOOMY ON TOP
We chat to SA's most popular female podcaster about love, loss and her booming success
MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME
Tinus Drotské says his sibling, ex Bok Nǎka, is the victim in the brawl with a neighbour that landed up in court
MATT THE RECLUSE
A year after his friend's tragic death, the actor continues to shun the spotlight
A LEAP OF FAITH
After her husband tried to kill her by tampering with her parachute she thought she'd never trust a man again-but now she's found love
THEY'RE MY KIDS!
This West Coast woman treats her monkeys as iftheyre humans and animal activists are not happy about it