Interesting Facts
Unknown Facts About The Queen’s Gambit TV Series (2020)
Here are some fascinating facts about the popular TV series, “The Queen’s Gambit,” released in 2020.
1.Consultation with World Chess Masters
Unlike most films and TV shows that symbolically depict a chessboard, in this series, the chessboards were always set up accurately, and the games and chess positions were authentic. National Master Bruce Pandolfini and Grandmaster Garry Kasparov were involved as consultants for this series.
2. Increased Chess Game Sales!
In the fall of 2020, several news agencies, including The New York Times, CNN, and others, reported a significant increase in chess set sales and a surge in interest in learning the game due to the popularity of this miniseries.
3. Over 62 Million Viewers!
<p”>It took about thirty years for Allan Scott, the writer and producer, to bring this program to fruition. During that time, he rewrote the story nine times and pitched it to several studios. All the studios rejected the show, believing that nobody had any interest in chess. Ironically, this miniseries became the most-watched show on Netflix worldwide within a month of its release, attracting over 62 million viewers.
4.Chess from Zero!
In an interview, Anya Taylor-Joy (Beth Harmon) revealed that her knowledge of chess was zero before accepting the role. She further explained that during the filming of the series, it felt like she had been invited into a very secretive world… The pressure of learning chess for complex scenes and the excitement of doing it within 5 minutes were exhilarating. She said, “It was where I experienced the most pride I’ve ever felt. My brain was capable of doing that because I tricked myself into believing I was genuinely good at chess.”
Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About The Queen’s Gambit (2020)
5. The Novel’s Resurgence After 37 Years!
Thanks to this series, “The Queen’s Gambit,” the novel of the same name entered The New York Times Bestseller List 37 years after its initial release.
6.The Queen’s Gambit Technique!
According to the official chess website, “The Queen’s Gambit” technique is one of the most popular chess openings due to its aggressive nature in attack. It is used when a player derives constant pleasure from putting pressure on their opponent.
7. Moscow or Berlin?
In the final scene of the series, where Beth gets out of the car in Moscow and walks towards the old men playing chess in the park, it was actually filmed in Berlin.
8. Exactly Like the Queen’s Pawn!
In the closing scene of the series, Beth is seen wearing a completely white suit with a queen’s pawn piece in her hair. Gabrielle Binder, the costume designer, confirmed the intention behind this look, stating, “The idea was to show that she is now on the chessboard as the queen, and the chessboard is essentially the world itself.”
9. How to Play Chess?
Due to the success of “The Queen’s Gambit” miniseries, Google searches about chess have doubled. Meanwhile, the search term “how to play chess” has reached its highest level in the past 9 years.
10.Eyes of the Portrait!
When Anya Taylor-Joy heard about the positive reactions from people about the series after its initial release on Netflix, she was filming a movie in Ireland. Upon returning to her home in London and going out for a walk wearing a mask (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and a woolly hat, people immediately recognized her on the street. And all because of her eyes!
