To all the chess lovers out there, or those who picked up the strategy game because of Netflix’s ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, Chess.com has very recently added a brand new feature – we can face off against the miniseries’ main protagonist Beth Harmon in the game app. Well, not Beth Harmon exactly, we will be facing off against a bot version of the fictional Chess prodigy, which was created by Chess.com.
To the ones who are worried about going up against the World Champion, you need not fret – we have the option to face seven different Beth Harmons – all of various ages and chess proficiencies. They are as follows:
(i) Beth aged eight (850)
(ii) Beth aged nine (1200)
(iii) Beth aged 10 (1600)
(iv) Beth aged 15 (1800)
(v) Beth aged 17 (2400)
(vi) Beth aged 20 (2500)
(vii) Beth aged 22 (2700).
The numbers in brackets depicts her strength/ ranking within the chess community of Chess.com.
Of course, this will not be exactly like playing against the actual Beth Harmon. The bot won’t quit halfway through the game or will it get too drunk and sleep off in a bathtub. We are not even sure that Chess.com has studied the fictional character or her plays and built an algorithm based on her playing style. But it is a fun way to get (back) into the game.
Since the release of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, the popularity of chess has skyrocketed. It was already coming back up, thanks to the pandemic, but the miniseries gave it a boost like no other, with Chess.com gaining 3.2 million new members as of early December, with 2.5 million joining one month after the release of the limited series.
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is based on the 1983 novel written by Walter Tevis of the same name. The miniseries was created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott and it follows a young 1950s orphan, Beth Harmon. The series shows her finding out about the game of chess, playing the game and eventually becoming the world’s greatest player in the 60s. As this is happening, she is seen struggling with problems around her – some of them of her own making. The series stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the primary protagonist. This series, according to Netflix, is their most watched miniseries of all time, with 62 million users tuning in during the first four weeks.
Stream the brilliant miniseries, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ on Netflix.