one of the most acclaimed in Netflix history and hit at the perfect time, captivating audiences who were isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing popularity in the game. The series centers around Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young woman who is a chess prodigy in the 1950s and 1960s. At the time, women were not respected in the sport, but Harmon rose up to the rank of master, despite her unstable upbringing and struggles with substance abuse.
Above all, The Queen's Gambit is enthralling, effectively showcasing both the complexities and sophistication that goes into the game without alienating viewers. Since its release in 2020, The Queen's Gambit has been regarded as a feminist masterpiece as it centers on a woman, which is seldom seen in sports and mind games, especially chess. With The Queen's Gambit being such a rich historical piece, many have wondered if it is based on a true story, and if Beth Harmon is a real person.
No, Beth Harmon Isn’t Based On A Real Person
She Shares Similarities With Real Chess Champion Vera Menchik
Beth Harmon may have inspired viewers, but she is not based on a real person. While Harmon is merely a product of fiction, she is the culmination of different female chess players, and she most notably shares many similarities with real-life chess champion Vera Menchik. Menchik was the first and longest-reigning Women's World Chess Champion, hnolding the title for an impressive 17 years, from 1927 to 1944.
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At the time Menchik was playing, women only competed against other women, but she broke the gender barrier and played against some of the best male chess players in the world. Menchick started playing until she was 14 and rose up in the ranks, eventually becoming, arguably, the greatest women's champion of all time.
While Harmon isn't directly based on Menchik, or anyone in particular, her story is firmly rooted in reality. Both Harmon and Menchik were stand-out women in a male-dominated game. Nearly all professional chess players were male in the 1950s and 1960s when Harmon played. The sport is still male-dominated today. As of July 2024, only 12.7% of Chess Federation are female (via The U.S. Chess Federation).
Both Harmon and Menchik were able to rise up so far in the chess ranks while facing constant sexism and people doubting their abilities because they were female. Their unflappable talent in the male-dominated world of chess makes their stories exceptional, whether they are fictionalized like Harmon's, or all too real, like Menchik's.
Menchik Was A Soviet Chess Star In the 1930s
She Had An Impressive Career
Vera Menchik was born on February 16, 1906, in Soviet Russia. She was born into Russian nobility and lived a prosperous life until the Russian Revolution when her family was forced to flee their native country and move to England in 1921. While Menchik certainly had a better start at life than her fictional counterpart, she and Beth were ripped out of their homes when they were young and found chess as an escape.
Harmon hails from Kentucky, and after her mother died in a car crash, she spent much of her childhood at an orphanage where she was taught to play chess by a custodian. Once Bethy is adopted, her adoptive parents eventually foster her chess talent and allow her to compete. Meanwhile, Menchik learned to play chess at age 14. While she was not a chess prodigy right away like Beth, she certainly showed prowess in the game very early on.
Beth Harmon And Bobby Fischer: Chess Prodigies Raised in Poverty
Fischer Was Very Problematic
Beth Harmon also shares many similarities with male chess grandmaster, Bobby Fischer. Like Harmon, Fischer was American, lived in poverty for much of his childhood, and was a chess prodigy at a young age. His mother, Regina, would take multiple jobs at a time to Bobby and his sister Joan as a single parent. Despite the challenges of his upbringing, Bobby started playing chess at six years old. He soon became a chess prodigy, like Harmon.
Both Harmon and Fischer struggled with personal issues while conquering chess. Harmon is addicted to the tranquilizers she was given as a child at the orphanage. She also struggles with alcoholism, and she has to work through all of her addictions while trying to beat world-renowned chess masters.
Fischer has his share of issues as well. It is widely believed that he lived with schizophrenia and intense paranoia (via Pacific Standard). Although he was born Jewish, Fischer was a known antisemite, with his antisemitic ideology tracing back to the early 1960s. One of his chess contemporaries said that Fischer "idolized Hitler" (via The King: Chess Pieces). Additionally, Fischer made derogatory comments following the September 11th attacks. Fischer said that he "applauded the attacks" as he believed they were in retaliation for America's of Israel (via The Telegraph).
The Queen’s Gambit Is A Feminist Look At Chess
It's Rare In The Game
Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of The Queen's Gambit is its feminist undertones, as chess is very much a boy's club. The game's male domination is likely why there are so few notable female chess players and why The Queen's Gambit resonated with so many people. The mind sport has never really been seen through a female perspective on-screen. Almost all the movies and media depict chess through a male's perspective, like Finding Bobby Fischer and Pawn Sacrifice. However, The Queen's Gambit shows the sport through a fully developed female character.
But, it's not enough that Beth is female. What makes her interesting and, in turn, makes The Queen's Gambit a feminist work, is that she's an interesting character. Harmon is constantly grappling with drug and alcohol addiction, while also trying to come to with her painful upbringing and immense chess talent. Put all those elements together, and there's a complete character who isn't just there to make a point about women in chess, she makes a point about the human condition.
The Queen's Gambit
- Release Date
- 2020 - 2019
- Showrunner
- Scott Frank
- Directors
- Scott Frank
WHERE TO WATCH
Based on the novel by Walter Tevis, the Netflix limited series drama The Queen's Gambit is a coming-of-age story that explores the actual cost of genius. Abandoned and entrusted to a Kentucky orphanage in the late 1950s, a young Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) discovers an astonishing talent for chess. Haunted by her personal demons and fueled by a cocktail of narcotics and obsession, Beth transforms into an impressively skilled and glamorous outcast, determined to conquer the traditional boundaries established in the male-dominated world of competitive chess.
- Seasons
- 1
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