Reviews on "The Queen's Gambit" webseries
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Eh, I didn’t like it much. But I have weird taste.
The show was good but sometimes they really sounded corny when they were trying to name drop players and openings. And what is with the tiny dude dressing like a wannabe explorer? 🙄
Contenchess wrote:
The show was good but sometimes they really sounded corny when they were trying to name drop players and openings. And what is with the tiny dude dressing like a wannabe explorer? 🙄
Which tiny dude you are talking about??
Girev.
It looked good and was about chess and wasn’t bad. But I didn’t think it was particularly exciting either. I liked the first episode. Among the chess nerd irritations is that all these strong players offered draw all the time when they were dead lost, and then resigned when the draw offer wasn’t accepted. And of course that they played extremely quickly in every game, but that is certainly easier to understand in a series like this :-)
C’mon they aren’t going to teach viewers how to play chess!
One random thing I liked, knowing that Kaspy was involved I didn’t have to sit at the edge of my seat and stress every time they showed the board up close that it would be set up wrong, or that they would say “The Najdorf Sicilian” when it was actually the Sveshnikov. No, the chess was very accurate. I was all relaxed the whole time. Chillin. Enjoying the show.
The Psuedo Bobby Fisher character….too bad he couldn’t be that cool irl.
One random thing I liked, knowing that Kaspy was involved I didn’t have to sit at the edge of my seat and stress every time they showed the board up close that it would be set up wrong, or that they would say “The Najdorf Sicilian” when it was actually the Sveshnikov. No, the chess was very accurate. I was all relaxed the whole time. Chillin. Enjoying the show.
The Psuedo Bobby Fisher character….too bad he couldn’t be that cool irl.
Pulpofeira wrote:
Girev.
Oh... Lol...😅😂
That series got me to play chess. I watched it with no knowledge about the game and absolutely loved it. Maybe thats why I think its worth both hype and watch. Definitely I need to rewatch it soon now when I know thing or two about chess. Maybe my opinion changes, but I doubt it. I have read that most of chess stuff is very accurate, is that true?
Arnaut10 wrote:
That series got me to play chess. I watched it with no knowledge about the game and absolutely loved it. Maybe thats why I think its worth both hype and watch. Definitely I need to rewatch it soon now when I know thing or two about chess. Maybe my opinion changes, but I doubt it. I have read that most of chess stuff is very accurate, is that true?
Yup, it's very accurate, as far as I can tell. For instance - chess openings, the chess board, wooden analog chess clock, tournament scenarios, notations, adjournment etc. Almost everything was up to the mark.
And most importantly, they presented the show in such a way that even a non chess player would enjoy the show.
While the show has many great things that attribute to being as popular as it is, there are still some places in which it could’ve improved.
For example, the cinematography was well done and consistent throughout most of the episodes. However, it became bland and repetitive watching the millionth close-up shot of Harmon in a chess match after the third episode. It was almost too straightforward and rarely allowed for much creativity to grace the screen.
Benny Watts was the annoying character that dressed up like a tiny wannabe explorer.
if the show had too many details or facts about chess, it would confuse most viewers..you can't expect a novel or a movie about Titanic to explain the details of how the big ship was made and worked, and how the big ship sunk...unless the target audience is engineers
Contenchess wrote:
Benny Watts was the annoying character that dressed up like a tiny wannabe explorer.
I know, right...😅😂😂
Yurinclez2 wrote:
if the show had too many details or facts about chess, it would confuse most viewers..you can't expect a novel or a movie about Titanic to explain the details of how the big ship was made and worked, and how the big ship sunk...unless the target audience is engineers
I see what you mean...
No grandmaster would play the black side of the opera game, though.
I liked how, even though they were very respectful to chess (by involving experts like Kasparov, making sure the boards were accurate etc) the story stood on its own independent of chess. It dealt with themes like overcoming addiction, facing one's personal demons, and learning to accept help. I also found the series very aesthetically pleasing to watch (the way it was set up and filmed). The music was pretty awesome as well. There were a few inaccuracies like tournament players sometimes talking mid-game, but I'm willing to overlook this to a degree because it's hard to adapt chess for TV and overall they managed it pretty well.
Of course, I also liked the show. I was just stating the strengths & shortcomings.
This American drama is exceptionally and amazingly a good story. It exceeds my expectation. Cinematography and music score are top notch! It’s absolutely a movie theater level quality for TV show. It creates a compelling story out of chess playing game. The main actresses, including the young Harmon, perform outstandingly. Her emotional expressions get to the point and they don’t drag. Her character’s inner desire reflects how all of us strongly wanting to achieve better things in our lives. The progress of her life from having nothing to having everything by using her extraordinary ability in chess play makes this show so appealing. The detail settings of the 1960’s areas are just so cool and interesting to look at. The CGI parts are creatively utilized to demonstrate her genius mind at work. The drama pace is perfect and each episode is getting better and better. The director did an awesome job in making it exciting.
In my opinion, this webseries is not worth the hype, but worth a watch. The show has gathered a lot of hype from casual viewers and chess fans alike. So much so, that it became Netflix’s most-watched limited series after only 28 days on the streaming service. With 62 million viewers (stats I found on google..😅😅) tuning in from countries all over the world within the first month of it airing, the show has dominated and claimed a place on Netflix’s Top Ten, only furthering its popularity.
No doubt Anya Taylor's performance was awesome and the story was good. And while the show doesn’t specifically go in-depth explaining the game of chess (the only con I could think of) or attempting to teach viewers how to play, it has increased the popularity of the game as a whole.
So, what are your thoughts on this webseries?? Let me know in the comment section...😶😶