A new Netflix series about chess players has been winning rave reviews

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The Queen's Gambit on Netflix has people calling the new series "powerful" and one of the streamer's best yet

The Queen's Gambit
(Image credit: Netflix)

Every week, Netflix releases something new. In fact, so much fresh content is reaching the streaming service that it's difficult to keep up, and even some of the best Netflix shows fall under the radar. 

One of those may have been The Queen's Gambit, which stars Split and New Mutants actor Anya Taylor-Joy as the orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon who aspires to be a champion at the game. Now, we agree, a series about a wannabe chess champion told over seven hour-long episodes may not exactly sound tantalising, but that's not the case. 

Taylor-Joy plays "one of the year’s most fascinating TV characters," claims Time, while IndieWire describes the limited-series from Godless writer-director, Scott Frank, as an "exception" compared to other chess-featuring shows and movies. 

"Frank’s second limited series is another risk and another unexpected charmer," the review continues. "To say the actors’ steal the show is both true and a tad flippant toward the measured work from every department that makes these seven episodes sing. Time will tell if viewers young and old will appreciate The Queen’s Gambit, but they absolutely should."

Social media has also been filled with posts from viewers discovering the new Netflix series. "The Queen’s Gambit had me all in," writes one user. "This unassuming, well-written series possess all the elements of a good ol’ Netflix binge."

The Queen's Gambit may be the Netflix surprise we've all been waiting for. All episodes are available on the streaming service now. And if you need something else to watch, then make sure to check out the best Netflix movies.

Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.