The Guardian summarizes his behavior, which garnered him a bad reputation within the chess community: 'Fischer was labelled an insufferable diva and a psych-out artist who made life hell for tournament officials and tried to rattle opponents by complaining about, among other things, high-frequency sounds that only he and several species of mammals could detect.' As he grew older, Fischer was as equally defined by his enigma as he was by his chess skills. Both were self-sufficient as teenagers.īut that's where the similarities end. Both were tormented by inner demons-Beth by drugs, and Fischer by mental illness. Both learned Russian to prepare for playing there. With that in mind, here's what you need to know about the true stories behind The Queen's Gambit.īeth and Fischer have other similarities, in addition to being teenage talents. In a column for the New York Times, chess master Dylan Loeb McClain praised the series for capturing the atmosphere of the male-dominated chess scene in the '50s and '60s, when teenage Beth rises to fame, with 'painful authenticity.' He called the show 'one of the best and most successful screen adaptations of the game.' Though the story is based on a single individual, it's certainly grounded in history. The series' title is a nod to one of the chess moves that Beth learns along the way. The Queen's Gambit is based on a 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis (a chess player himself), and follows a chess prodigy on her journey from orphanage to championships. The only problem, of course, is that Beth Harmon is a wholly fictional creation. Netflix Announces Slate of Classic Black TV Shows.The 55 Best Black Movies on Netflix Right Now.'Virgin River' Has a Season 2 Premiere Date.

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