The Queen’s Gambit
– IMDb user rating: 8.6
– Year on the air: 2020
“The Queen’s Gambit,” based on the 1983 Walter Tevis novel of the same name, centers on the character of an orphan and chess prodigy called Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy). Harmon is taught to play chess by a janitor at the orphanage, and by age 20 is headed to Moscow to compete against the world’s best Grandmaster. But besides the pressure of training for such a title, Harmon battles demons—from drug and alcohol addiction to emotional problems—all along the way. Despite being short-lived, the show won 11 of the 18 Primetime Emmy Awards for which it was nominated in 2021.