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The Queen's Gambit is an American mini-series in seven parts of approximately 56 minutes each, created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott, adapted from the eponymous novel by Walter Tevis published in 1983, and released online on October 23, 2020 on Netflix.
This fiction follows Elisabeth Harmon, an orphan chess prodigy, aged eight to twenty-two, on her quest to become the best chess player in the world, while battling emotional issues and addiction to drugs and alcohol. The story begins in the mid-1950s and continues into the 1960s
Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, an orphan who matures into a competitive young adult fueled by a desire to become the greatest chess player in the world while masking a growing addiction to the drugs and alcohol that allow her to function.
Isla Johnston as young Beth
Annabeth Kelly as five-year-old Beth
Bill Camp as Mr. Shaibel, the custodian at the Methuen Home for Girls and an experienced chess player who teaches Beth how to play the game.
Moses Ingram as Jolene, a rebellious teenager at the Methuen Home who becomes Beth's closest childhood friend.
Christiane Seidel as Helen Deardorff, director of Methuen Home for Girls.
Rebecca Root as Miss Lonsdale, the chaplain and choir director at Methuen.
Chloe Pirrie as Alice Harmon, Beth's deceased mother (seen only in flashbacks) who earned a Ph.D. in mathematics at Cornell University before experiencing a downward spiral in her mental health.
Akemnji Ndifornyen as Mr. Fergusson, the orderly at Methuen, who among other roles administers state-mandated pills to the girls.
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