The Queen’s Gambit has sat atop the Netflix charts consistently since it was released a week ago, and it’s easy to see why. It’s stunning in every way you want a show to be, and well-worth checking out.

“It’s an entire world of just 64 squares. I feel safe in it. I can control it, I can dominate it. And it’s predictable. So if I get hurt, I only have myself to blame.”

Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) in The Queen’s Gambit

Orphaned at nine, young Beth Harmon is quiet, unremarkable and virtually invisible, until she discovers chess, and her affinity for the game. The Queen’s Gambit is a limited series that tracks young Beth’s trajectory from forgotten orphan to chess master, and it’s marvelous.

Played by Anya Taylor-Joy (who, as we reported, is the future Furiosa,) Beth would be unusual in any era, but in the 1960s when this series is set, she is serious, smart and (not to sound cliche) really not like other girls. She is a natural at chess but has no one to play with, even after she is adopted. But after her mother loses her husband and only source of income, the two team up to enter Beth into chess tournaments where she tears up the competition as she brings home the bacon.

Gorgeously shot in rich wines, emeralds and blues, with stunning costumes and sets, The Queen’s Gambit has so much going for it before you even factor in the story and acting. Taylor-Joy plays the character with nuance; she is all steely nerve in a tournament but flirty and feminine in her own, slightly awkward way.

The chess tournament matches are tense and nerve-wracking, and you don’t have to know much about chess to enjoy the nail-biting suspense. Beth is a gifted player, going by intuition more than training, but you can’t help wonder how long she can continue winning as she climbs the ranks and must face more serious opponents.

Another layer of suspense comes from Beth’s drug and alcohol problems, spurred by both her addiction to the tranquilizers she was given in the orphanage and easy to access to alcohol, courtesy of her mother. Without spoiling anything, it soon becomes obvious that there will be a reckoning sooner rather than later.

Outside of Taylor-Joy, there aren’t a lot of recognizable names in the cast, but the performances are wonderful. Marielle Heller is outstanding as Beth’s mom, Alma Wheatley, who wildly misjudges when to be strict and when to be permissive. A huge cast of chess opponents and fellow students (mostly male) manages to be distinct and varied, but this story is all about Beth, and that’s a very good thing.

Have you watched The Queen’s Gambit? Let us know in the comments!