The

Queen's Gambit

Set during the Cold War era, orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon struggles with addiction in a quest to become the greatest chess player in the world.

Chess child prodigy

Nine year-old orphan Beth Harmon is quiet, sullen, and by all appearances unremarkable. That is, until she plays her first game of chess. Her senses grow sharper, her thinking clearer, and for the first time in her life she feels herself fully in control.

Raise to fame

By the age of sixteen, she’s competing for the U.S. Open championship. But as Beth hones her skills on the professional circuit, the stakes get higher, her isolation grows more frightening, and the thought of escape becomes all the more tempting.

World champion

She develops friendships with several people, including former Kentucky state champion Harry Beltik; gifted but arrogant chess prodigy Benny Watts and journalist, photographer and fellow player D.L. Townes. As Beth continues to win games and reaps the financial benefits of her success, she becomes more dependent on alcohol and other drugs.

Queen's Gambit Opening

It is one of the oldest openings and is still commonly played today. It is traditionally described as a gambit because White appears to sacrifice the c-pawn; however, this could be considered a misnomer as Black cannot retain the pawn without incurring a disadvantage.

The

Effect

Chess is cool again, thanks to the hit Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit. While chess retailers and app makers reap the rewards, other brands are surely taking note of the streaming service’s ability to singlehandedly drive sales.

Inquiries for “chess sets”
on eBay are up 250%

Google searches for
“how to play chess”
have hit a 9-year peak.

Original novel is back
on the The New York
Times bestseller list

The number of new players on chess.com has 5x

“Chess isn’t always competitive. Chess can also be beautiful. It was the board I noticed first. 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

Cast

"I'm not your Guardian Angel. I'm not here to save you. Hell, I can barely save me."

- Moses Ingram as Jolene

"Those things are called openings." Beth: "Is that one of 'em?" Mr. Shaibel: "Yeah... the Queen's Gambit."

- Bill Camp as Mr. Shaibel

"My tranquility needs to be refurbished."

- Marielle Heller as Alma Wheatley

"Anger is a potent spice. A pinch wakes you up; too much dulls your senses."

- Harry Melling as Harry Beltik

"Do you ever go over games in your head? When you're alone, I mean. Play all the way through them? - Beth Harmon "Doesn't everybody?"

- Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Benny Watts

"She's an orphan. A survivor. She's like us - losing is not an option for her. Otherwise, what would her life be?"

- Marcin Dorocinski as Vasily Borgov

Behind

The

Scene

First, Anya Taylor-Joy joined The Queen's Gambit so early that a script didn't even exist yet — creator Scott Frank sent her a copy of Walter Tevis's novel of the same name, and she was "sold."

In fact, The Queen's Gambit was almost turned into a movie before this TV show — originally, Heath Ledger was set to make his directorial debut on the project before his death in 2008.

Anya knew nothing about chess before signing on to play Beth — she said she thinks it helped her "a lot" and allowed her to really dive into the world.

Every move during the chess games was choreographed by chess consultants Garry Kasparov and Bruce Pandolfini — they also helped coach all of the actors.

Originally, creator Scott Frank asked Garry Kasparov to play Borgov in The Queen's Gambit, but he turned down the role and became a consultant instead.

Every single chess game shown on screen was played by the actors in those scenes, including the fast-paced speed chess matches.

In fact, there were even chess matches where the board is never shown on screen, only the actors' faces, but they still played a real game.

Anya was taught all of the moves Beth would make in a chess game minutes before a scene was filmed, so everything was fresh in her mind.

Anya, Scott Frank, and makeup and hair designer Daniel Parker actually all independently decided that Beth should be a redhead, and the only way to accomplish all of Beth's hairstyles was by using wigs.

The character of Benny is loosely based on real-life American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer, who, at 13 years old, won a game that became known as "The Game of the Century."

Anya said her years as a ballet dancer helped her come up with how Beth would physically move the chess pieces — she said, "I just got to learn really nifty, cool choreography with my fingers."

Costume designer Gabriele Binder actually incorporated the "lines of the chessboard" throughout Beth's wardrobe.

Some of the inspiration behind how to film the chess matches in The Queen's Gambit came from watching Ed Zwick's film Pawn Sacrifice — in the movie, the faces of the players are shown more often than the chessboard.

Although a majority of The Queen's Gambit is set in the US, most of the series was filmed in Berlin.

If you didn't know, Marielle Heller, who played Alma, is a well-known director and was behind films like A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and What the Constitution Means to Me.

All of the hypothetical chess situations that play out in Beth's head and are seen on screen include real chess moves that could happen — basically, the VFX team also learned chess while doing the effects.

Anya is a massive Harry Potter fan and said Harry Melling, who played Harry in The Queen's Gambit and Dudley in the Harry Potter films, "graciously" sat and listened to her freak out over his involvement in the popular films.

Each of Beth's lipstick colors were deliberately chosen for each individual scene and helped signify Beth's age as the series progressed — toward the end of the series, Beth's lipstick shade ultimately becomes a nod to Alma.

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Press clippings

How ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Is Inspiring Women to Take Up Chess

Fans of the Netflix series, including teenagers and the actress Beth Behrs, are flocking to the game because “women can be rock stars” in chess.

‘‘The Queen’s Gambit’’ is sparking a surge of interest in chess

By spurring young people’s interest in chess, “The Queen’s Gambit” also has given parents and their children a new shared activity.

The Brilliant Use of Complementary Colors in The Queen’s Gambit

Fans of the Netflix series, including teenagers and the actress Beth Behrs, are flocking to the game because “women can be rock stars” in chess.

Fans

Ask

Questions

Is Queen’s Gambit based on true story?

As for whether The Queen’s Gambit inspired by a true story? Sorry to disappoint: It’s all fictional. But it is inspired by real-life events. The limited series is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis.

Will there be a Queen’s Gambit 2?

Netflix has yet to renew The Queen’s Gambit for a second season. Given that the show is billed as a limited series, with the creative team hinting that the story has concluded, a renewal looks unlikely. “We’ve had a lot of fun talking about what happens tomorrow,” executive producer William Horberg said.

How many episodes is the Queen’s gambit?

Netflix’s limited series The Queen’s Gambit has set a viewership record for the streamer. The seven-episode drama about a chess prodigy (Anya Taylor-Joy) who rises to the top of her field while battling addiction and emotional issues, is the top scripted limited series ever for Netflix.

What are green pills in Queen’s Gambit?

Like Beth’s story, the pills—called Xanzolam in the series—are a historical fiction, drawing upon real benzodiazepines and their checkered history. In her childhood, Beth knows them only as one of two “vitamins”—one red, one green—that she receives at the orphanage to help “even out” her disposition.

How old is Beth in Queen’s Gambit?

Beth is either 19 or 20 at the end of The Queen’s Gambit, as the tournament in Russia takes place in 1968, but the time of year is not clear. Based on the fact that she’s described as being 20, the event likely takes place late in 1968, after her birthday in November.

What does gambit mean?

A gambit (from ancient Italian gambetto, meaning “to trip”) is a chess opening in which a player, more often White, sacrifices material , usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position.

Want to play a game with Beth Harmon?

The virtual Beth bots currently have seven different ages/playing strengths for you to match your wits with on chess.com. You can find them above the celebrity bots on the play computer page.

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