Hit miniseries 'The Queen’s Gambit' has led to a surge of interest in chess. — Picture courtesy of Netflixhas led to a surge of interest in chess, with one popular website registering millions of new players and academies reporting unprecedented demand.
It is just the latest burst of popularity for a game that is believed to have originated in India in the seventh century and was played — and occasionally banned — by medieval European kings, before becoming more established in the late 1800s. The Queen’s Gambit Tindall told AFP he has fielded calls from 40-50 adults looking for lessons in the last few weeks, and when carrying academy-branded kit he reports being stopped in the street and asked his opinion about the series. On school visits, normally ambivalent teachers have gone out of their way to approach him, and some students are tuning in too — even though the series features heavy alcohol and drug abuse.
“We have a lot of good chess players in the country and the number has grown during the lockdown. Young people are hooked to technology and they were attracted to online chess.” “Chess is something people need right now — the introspection, the delightful escape into a smaller world of 64 squares,” she said.The series’ opulent settings, Cold War kitsch and period chess equipment seem to have captured people’s imagination.
Most chess commentators have given the show high marks for authenticity — perhaps unsurprising, given Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov and US chess author Bruce Pandolfini were consultants.
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