Michael Moynihan: Chess the game that lives forever

The success of The Queen’s Gambit, which focuses on a chess prodigy, has brought the great old board game back into the limelight

The success of The Queen’s Gambit, which focuses on a chess prodigy, has brought the great old board game back into the limelight

I haven’t seen The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix yet myself, so please don’t spoil it for me. There could be a couple of long, cold evenings over the Christmas to fill: if there’s a twist, keep it to yourself a while longer.

The success of the show, which focuses on a chess prodigy, has brought the great old board game back into the limelight. Apparently recent months had seen a rise in participation anyway — online chess is perfectly suited to lockdown, when you think of it — but the Netflix show has driven a spike even in those numbers.