Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
The Queen’s Gambit tells the electrifying story of a young chess phenom’s rise to the top. Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) is an impoverished orphan who learns about the game from her orphanage’s janitor, Mr. Shaibel (Bill Camp). Armed with genius, determination, and a load of self-destructive behaviors, Beth becomes a famous international chess star. She gets profiled by LIFE magazine, shuttled all over the world, and is celebrated by chess fans everywhere. The question is: is The Queen’s Gambit based on a true story?
Set in the 1960s, The Queen’s Gambit follows the meteoric rise of Elizabeth “Beth” Harmon. Forced to live at a Kentucky orphanage following the death of her troubled genius mother, Beth soon finds two outlets for her pain: chess and tranquilizers. Together, they offer her an escape from reality and the means to break out of her impoverished state. With the help of her original mentor, Mr. Shaibel, and her adoptive mother Alma (Marielle Heller), Beth enters a series of chess tournaments. After roundly beating established male players, Beth becomes something of a fascination for people following the game. Eventually, she makes it to the international level, but not without also finding herself weighed down by her addictions.
But was The Queen’s Gambit‘s Beth Harmon a real person? And if she wasn’t, is The Queen’s Gambit at least based on a true story?
IS THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT BASED ON A TRUE STORY?
More On:
The Queen's Gambit
-
Anya Taylor-Joy Talks The Use Of AI In 'Furiosa' on 'Live': "It’s Strange To See Your Eyes And Mouth On Somebody Else’s Face"
-
'The Big Cigar' Episode Guide: How Many Episodes In André Holland's Apple TV+ Drama?
-
Stream It Or Skip It: 'Monsieur Spade' On AMC/Acorn TV, Where Clive Owen Is A Retired Sam Spade Solving A Brutal Killing In The South Of France
-
'Monsieur Spade' Episode Guide: How Many Episodes Are In Clive Owen's AMC Crime Drama?
Tragically, nope. Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit is an adaptation of Walter Tevis’s celebrated novel of the same name. While the novel has been universally praised for its accurate portrayal of chess, it’s a wholly original story.
There was no real Beth Harmon, nor was there an Elizabeth Harmon. The character is a pure creation of fiction. Though it would have been nice if 1950s chess had a cool female star like Beth!
However, there have always been chess prodigies that have captured public attention. Bobby Fischer, Boris Spassky, and Anatoly Karpov were famous grandmasters who inspired Tevis’s work. However, he made a point not to include any of them in the actual text.
So there you have it: The Queen’s Gambit is a heavily researched work of fiction that accurately depicts the psychological strain placed on chess grandmasters. However, its story is pure fiction.
