The Queen's Gambit – Walter Tevis

A modern classic about a troubled chess prodigy and her battle to survive - a coming of age story of feminism, chess and addiction. NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES starring Anya Taylor-Joy from Academy-Award nominee Scott Frank and BAFTA nominee Allan Scott. ´Superb´ - Time Out. ´Mesmerizing´ - Newsweek. ´Gripping´ - Financial Times. ´Sheer entertainment. It is a book I reread every few years - for the pure pleasure and skill of it´ - Michael Ondaatje. ´Don´t pick this up if you want a night´s sleep´ - Scotsman. When she is sent to an orphanage at the age of eight, Beth Harmon soon discovers two ways to escape her surroundings, albeit fleetingly: playing chess and taking the little green pills given to her and the other children to keep them subdued. Before long, it becomes apparent that hers is a prodigious talent, and as she progresses to the top of the US chess rankings she is able to forge a new life for herself. But she can never quite overcome her urge to self-destruct. For Beth, there´s more at stake than merely winning and losing.