The Queen's Gambit

About the Show

The Queen's Gambit is a critically acclaimed Netflix miniseries that follows the life of chess prodigy Beth Harmon as she rises through the ranks of the chess world while battling personal struggles. Set during the Cold War era, the show beautifully blends drama, strategy, and character development.

Main Characters

Beth Harmon – The chess prodigy and protagonist.
Alma Wheatley – Beth's adoptive mother.
Mr. Shaibel – The janitor who teaches Beth chess.
Benny Watts – A chess champion and Beth's friend.
Harry Beltik – A chess player and Beth's temporary mentor.
Jolene – Beth's childhood friend from the orphanage.

Gallery

Beth shaking hands with her final opponent, Vasily Borgov

Beth faces Borgov in the finale!

Always thinking five moves ahead...♛

✨🧡✨

Cool snapshots of a chess tournament with Benny and Beth

Beth & Benny competing for the final round

Beth playing Benny Watts in a final match

Beth playing Benny in a tournament

Beth learning from Benny

Mr. Shaibel sharing his chess knowledge with Beth

Mr. Shaibel mentoring Beth 🥺

Beth moving into her new home with her adoptive mother

Beth & Alma in the Wheatley house

Jolene & Beth!

Beth being interviewed with her trophies

The progression of Beth's clothing style

Beth's clothing style progression

Beth dominating high school chess players as a child

Beth showing off her unmatchable skills

Fan Art

by Anna Zhuravleva

by Leonardo Santamaria

by Sweeney Boo

by Michelle Henderson

by Nell Fallcard

by Genevieve Dumas

by Marcin Bystrzycki

by @dawoonart

Fun Facts

The chess positions in the show are based on real grandmaster games, some of which are famous in chess history.
Beth Harmon's character was inspired by real-life chess prodigies like Bobby Fischer and Judit Polgár.
The green pills Beth takes are based on Librium, a tranquilizer used in the 1960s.
After the show's release, sales of chess sets increased by over 1000% in some countries.
Many of the costumes and sets use subtle chess motifs, such as checkerboard patterns and queen crowns.
The series won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited Series.

Famous Chess Openings Featured

Visualize the moves!

Opening	Moves	Style	Notes
Queen's Gambit	1. d4 d5 2. c4	Classical	White offers a pawn to control the center. Main theme of the show.
Sicilian Defense	1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6	Aggressive	Sharp, counterattacking opening. Popular at all levels.
Caro-Kann Defense	1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4	Solid	Often used by Beth in key matches.
King's Indian Defense	1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6	Dynamic	Used by top grandmasters.
Ruy López	1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5	Classic	Rich in tactics and strategy.

Tip: The Queen's Gambit starts with 1.d4 d5 2.c4. Try visualizing it on the board above!

Beth's Style Gallery

Beth's iconic checkered dress