I highly recommend this series to anyone, chess player or not. I, as an amateur chess nerd found it to be mesmerizing. There was one scene she was playing black and the camera zoomed in on the board and I yelled "Queen to bishop 4" (or something like that), and she played that exactly and I almost jumped out of my chair.

But as this author describes, the movie is much more than chess. The author points out the changes in society and culture and technology around her, yet there are traditions - particularly in the chess world - that change veeeery slowly.

What I found most interesting was the battles within her self. I have this crazy philosophy that I try to avoid giving 100% to things in my life if I don't have to, or I'd miss out on some other things in life that might bring even more joy. But I've never been a champion of anything. Those who rise to the top in sports or academics or anything generally give 100%. But they have to give up so much. Beltik came to this realization after a while - after she had stomped him so many times. She struggled to figure out how to balance being a champion and a real person at the same time. It was interesting to watch that battle.

Anyway, great fun.