Chess Champ Sues Netflix Over 'Grossly Sexist' Line About Her In The Queen's Gambit

Queen's Gambit sexism row: Nona Gaprindashvili, noted chess master, has sued streaming giant Netflix over remarks contained in their hit miniseries The Queen's Gambit, levelling allegations of sexism, according to reports. A line in the show, featuring the story of fictional American chess prodigy Beth Harmon, claims that Gaprindashvili "never faced men."

The 80-year-old former Soviet grandmaster filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit in California earlier this week, as per Hollywood Reporter, and her complaint stated the line referring to her on the Netflix series is "manifestly false, as well as... grossly sexist and belittling."

The lead character of Harmon on The Queen's Gambit is played by Anya Taylor-Joy who charts her way upwards in the Cold War era to become the greatest chess name the world has known. The show itself is adapted from a 1983 novel of the same name.

Queen's Gambit Sexism Accusations By Former Grandmaster

The reference to Gaprindashvili is made in the final episode of the seven-part series, when a character says, "Elizabeth Harmon’s not at all an important player by their standards. The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex. And even that’s not unique in Russia. There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and has never faced men."

Gaprindashvili is seeking the removal of this particular statement from the show, her lawsuit states.

She elaborates that she had faced "59 male chess players" by 1968, the year The Queen's Gambit is set. At least ten men were Grandmasters at the time, the suit says. Gaprindashvili, a major name in chess, is considered to be a trailblazer for women's representation and was the first woman the World Chess Federation titled Grandmaster in 1978. She has been recognised by the President of Georgia, the country of her origin, for her contribution to the game.

Gaprindashvili has also taken offence to Netflix referring to her as Russian "despite knowing that she was Georgian."

As per a statement from Netflix to NBC News, the streaming giant is looking to "vigorously" defend its case since it believes Gaprindashvili's "claim has no merit."

Image: Hans Peters / Anefo

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