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Everyone's Talking About 'The Queen's Gambit,' But Is It Too Good To Be True?

Everyone's Talking About 'The Queen's Gambit,' But Is It Too Good To Be True?

From Women's Health

Netflix's latest hit series, The Queen's Gambit, is so good you'll want to binge the whole thing in one sitting. The seven-episode drama tells the story of an orphan and chess prodigy who takes on the male-dominated, competitive field.

The Queen's Gambit follows Beth Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who has a chessboard stacked against her, including opponents who doubt her abilities and a drug addiction she's been struggling with since she was force-fed pills at an orphanage growing up. But still, Beth is able to pull out win after win after win in thrilling style. It's the kind of rag to riches story that makes you wonder, "Is this too good to be true?"

To answer that question, here's everything you need to know about the inspiration behind The Queen's Gambit.

Wait, so is The Queen's Gambit based on a true story?

Not exactly. The miniseries is based on a 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, but parts of the story are pulled from his real life experiences playing chess. The author told The New York Times in the 1980s that he first started playing against his sister and the kids in his neighborhood, and at one point, he was ranked a Class C player (amateur rankings start at A and go down the alphabet) and once won $250.

Tevis may not have reached Beth's level of chess prowess, but he told The Times, "I've played well enough to know what a good game is." In fact, Tevis added: "I can beat the average person, but I'm afraid to play those guys who set up boards in the street on Broadway." His firsthand experience not only helped him write the novel, but later influenced the Netflix show.

Photo credit: CHARLIE GRAY/NETFLIX
Photo credit: CHARLIE GRAY/NETFLIX

Was Beth Harmon a real-life chess prodigy?

Tevis dreamed up Beth for his novel, so she's fictional. But, the author told The Times that she was meant to be a "tribute to brainy women," including his daughter, Julie, and his aunt who gave him his first chess set as a present when he was 7 years old. "I like Beth for her bravery and intelligence. In the past, many women have had to hide their brains, but not today," he said at the time.

Photo credit: PHIL BRAY/NETFLIX
Photo credit: PHIL BRAY/NETFLIX

There is a real-life chess prodigy, Bobby Fischer, whose story has many parallels to Beth's on-screen tale, too. It was chess expert Dylan Loeb McClain who pointed out their similarities in The New York Times. "Beth and Fischer have similar, aggressive playing styles," he told the publication. "And when playing white and facing the Sicilian Defense, they both play the same system: the Fischer-Sozin Attack."

Beth and Fischer both won the U.S. championship title at a young age. They started supporting themselves as teens, learned Russian to compete against Soviet chess players, and splurged on fancy clothes. Both made their livelihoods playing chess, which was a rare feat.

Fictional or not, Anya described her character as a "badass" in a recent interview with TV Insider. (Agreed!)

Are the pills Beth is given at the orphanage real?

While the name of the orphanage's green pills, xanzolam, is entirely made up, Newsweek reported that it is likely meant to be a stand-in for librium or chlordiazepoxide, which was introduced in the 1960s and used to treat anxiety or insomnia. The drug's inventor later tweaked the formula for the original pill, and it became Valium.

The Queen's Gambit author Tevis tapped into his own real-life experience with drugs while writing. "When I was young, I was diagnosed as having a rheumatic heart and given heavy drug doses in a hospital. That's where Beth's drug dependency comes from in the novel," he told the Times. "Writing about her was purgative. There was some pain—I did a lot of dreaming while writing that part of the story. But artistically, I didn't allow myself to be self-indulgent."

Is there a season two of The Queen's Gambit coming?

Unfortunately, the seventh episode appears to be the final one. There's only one book, which the series covered, and no official plans for continuing the tale. (But if you want more pioneering strong women, check out showrunner Scott Frank's last Netflix project, Godless. The seven episode miniseries debuted in 2017.)

The Queen's Gambit executive producer William Horberg all but confirmed it. "The last scene feels like a beautiful note to end the show on, so I'm not sure if we want to go on and answer that question," he told Town & Country. "Maybe we can just let the audience imagine what comes next."

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