
Checkmate.
“The Queen’s Gambit”, a Netflix miniseries about an orphaned chess prodigy during the Cold War Era, took home two awards in the 2021 Golden Globe Awards Sunday night (Monday, March 1 in Manila).
The seven-episode miniseries bagged one of the top awards that include Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Its main star Anya Taylor-Joy, who played chess prodigy Beth Harmon, also won Best Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, beating Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Shira Haas.
Former Women’s World Chess Champion Susan Polgar congratulated Taylor-Joy and the whole series production for the awards in a social media post while Judit Polgar, generally considered as the strongest female chess player of all time, showed her support to the series in a Twitter post a day before the Awards Night.
The series has received mostly positive response particularly in the international chess community for its captivating and emotional portrayal of a female chess genius on her rise to the top of the sport while struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.
The chess community also lauded its realistic portrayal of the game and players. Among those who shared their insights on the show were reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen and Judit Polgar.
The series also heightened the interest in the sport particularly among women and especially during the pandemic.