The forgotten female chess star who beat men 90 years before 'Queen's Gambit'

[Zorro]

Vera Menchik astonished the chess world by taking down high-level male opponents in the 1920s and ’30s

These are boom times for chess.

Boards are sold out. Bookstores can’t keep how-tos on the shelves.

The reason: Beth Harmon, a Kentucky-orphan-turned-chess-prodigy who in the 1950s and ’60s dominated the typically male-dominated game, beating one grandmaster after another.

Actually, Harmon does not exist. She is the fictional star of “The Queen’s Gambit,” the hit Netflix series based on a 1983 novel by Walter Tevis that has chess aficionados recalling, in Chess.com’s words, “The real-life Beth Harmon‎.”

Her name was Vera Menchik.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/11/28/vera-menchik-chess-queens-gambit-beth-harmon/

[LizBeth]

1. Good series, excellent acting, gonna watch again, today.... Thanks for info.

[lastlib]

2. She was a very impressive talent.

Last edited Sat Nov 28, 2020, 04:35 PM - Edit history (1)

I've played through a few of her games--she really put the "hyper" in "hypermodern." She defeated one future world champion, Max Euwe, four years before he won the crown.

I would love to watch this series, but unfortunately, out here in the boonies, I don't have good access to Netflix.

[malaise]

3. Great movie

Glad I watched it

[abqtommy]

4. Thank you for allowing me to say her name...