[Netflix] The Queen's Gambit Limited Series Trailer | Rotten Tomatoes TV

[Ga[M]er]

There have been plenty of superstars in the world of chess. From Bobby Fischer to Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen, players have made headlines around the world and found the kind of celebrity that’s often reserved for movie stars or sports champions.

Beth Harmon is a little different. That might be because Harmon, the protagonist of The Queen’s Gambit, the glamorous, gritty, and absolutely captivating Netflix series—which has been nominated for 18 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for star Anya Taylor-Joy—is a fictional character. She was dreamed up by author Walter Tevis for his 1983 book of the same name. But that doesn’t mean that everything you see on the series is entirely imaginary. What's real in the world of The Queen's Gambit? We found out.
The character, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, was created by Tevis for his book, and there weren’t many world-famous female players in the spotlight at the time to inspire him. The Hungarian chess champion Judit Polgár could have done the trick, but she didn’t become a Grandmaster until 1991. (Her sister, the Susan Polgar, received the title the same year.) And when it comes to Beth’s extracurricular activities—namely her struggled with addiction—insiders doubt that any chess champion could manage such struggles while playing at such a high level. “I can’t tell you I’ve ever heard of a chess player performing on Valium,” chess champion Jennifer Shahade