Isla Johnston

Beginning in the mid-1950s and proceeding into the 1960s, the story follows the life of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a fictional American chess prodigy on her rise to the top of the chess world while struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.

The story is set in the mid-1950s and 1960s.

In the 1950s in Lexington, Kentucky, an eight-year-old Beth, having lost her mother in a car crash, is taken to an orphanage where she is taught chess by the building's custodian, Mr. Shaibel.

As was common at the time, the orphanage dispenses daily tranquilizer pills to the girls to "balance their disposition", which turns into an addiction for Beth.

She quickly becomes a strong chess player due to her visualization skills.

A few years later, Beth is adopted by childless suburban couple Alma and Allston Wheatley.

As she adjusts to her new home, Beth enters a chess tournament and wins despite having no prior experience in competitive chess.

Alma is initially resistant to Beth's interest in chess, but after Beth wins her first tournament, Alma is fully supportive of her adoptive daughter's sojourns to enter various chess competitions.

Beth develops friendships with several people, including former Kentucky State Champion Harry Beltik, United States National Champion Benny Watts, and journalist and fellow player D.L. Townes.

As Beth rises to the top of the chess world and reaps the financial benefits of her success, her drug and alcohol dependency worsens.

With help from her oldest friend Jolene, whom she grew up with in the orphanage, she prepares for a major international chess tournament against the world's best players in Moscow.

Production designer Uli Hanisch developed the series' sets to evoke the aesthetic of the 1950s and 1960s.

Much of the series was filmed in Berlin because interiors found there could stand in for a large number of the show's locations, including Las Vegas, Cincinnati, Mexico City, Moscow, and Paris.

Locations used in and near Berlin included the Kino International (for a restaurant, actually the Panorama Bar), the Berlin Zoo (for the zoo scene in Mexico City), the vintage clothes store Humana (for Ben Snyder’s Department in Louisville, Kentucky), Schloss Schulzendorf (for the Methuen Home orphanage), the Rathaus Spandau (for a hotel lobby in Cincinnati), the Meistersaal in Kreuzberg (for the Cincinnati tournament), Palais am Funkturm (for the Hotel Mariposa in Las Vegas), the Protestant University of Applied Sciences in Zehlendorf (for the US Championship games location), Haus Cumberland and its Café Grosz (for the Paris tournament), the Bode Museum (for scenes that take place in Paris), Karl-Marx-Allee (exterior of a hotel in Moscow); the final scene of Beth walking in Moscow was filmed at Rosengarten Square, also on Karl-Marx-Allee.

The Bärensaal (aka Bear hall) in the Altes Stadthaus was used for scenes set at the Moscow Tournament.

Allan Scott had been involved in attempts to get the book on screen since 1992, when he purchased the screenplay rights from Walter Tevis's widow.

Kasparov developed critical moments in the story, such as when a real 1998 game between grandmasters Arshak Petrosian and Vladimir Akopian was improved to showcase Beth's skill, or a 1993 game between Vasyl Ivanchuk and Patrick Wolff became the prototype for the decisive game in the last episode.

Alongside the series order announcement, it was announced that Anya Taylor-Joy was set to star as the lead.

On March 19, 2019, Netflix gave the production a series order consisting of six episodes.

The series was written and directed by Scott Frank, who also created the series with Allan Scott.

The two also served as executive producers alongside William Horberg.

The Queen's Gambit is a 2020 American coming-of-age period drama streaming television miniseries based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis.

The title refers to the "Queen's Gambit", a chess opening.

The series was written and directed by Scott Frank, who created it with Allan Scott, who owns the rights to the book.

Netflix released The Queen's Gambit on October 23, 2020.

After four weeks it had become Netflix's most-watched scripted miniseries, making it Netflix's top program in 63 countries.

The series received critical acclaim, with particular praise for Taylor-Joy's performance, the cinematography, and production values.

It also received a positive response from the chess community for its often accurate depictions of high-level chess, and data suggests that it increased public interest in the game.

The Queen's Gambit won eleven Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, becoming the first show on a streaming service to win the category.

The series also won two Golden Globe Awards: Best Limited Series or Television Film and Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for Taylor-Joy.

She also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.

The Queen's Gambit follows the life of an orphan chess prodigy, Elizabeth Harmon, during her quest to become an elite chess player while struggling with emotional problems, drugs and alcohol dependency.

The title of the series refers to a chess opening of the same name.

The series was released on October 23, 2020, with seven episodes instead of the original six-episode order.

Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and chess coach Bruce Pandolfini acted as consultants.

Pandolfini had consulted with Tevis prior to the novel's publication some 38 years earlier, coming up with the title "The Queen's Gambit".

Pandolfini, together with consultants John Paul Atkinson and Iepe Rubingh, devised several hundred chess positions to be used for various situations in the script.

In January 2020, it was reported Moses Ingram had joined the cast of the series.

Upon the miniseries premiere date announcement, it was announced that Bill Camp, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Harry Melling and Marielle Heller were cast in starring roles.

Because the majority of the filming was carried out in Berlin, the minor roles were filled mostly by British and German actors.