Netflix Settles $5M ‘Queen’s Gambit’ Suit Brought by Soviet Chess Legend
RESIGNATION
Netflix agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Nona Gaprindashvili, a trailblazing chess grandmaster who alleged the company had defamed her in a one-line reference in the megahit 2020 series The Queen’s Gambit. In the show, a commentator states that Gaprindashvili, a Soviet and Georgian champion, had “never faced men,” unlike the show’s fictional protagonist, Beth Harmon. In her filing, Gaprindashvili called this assertion “grossly sexist and belittling,” as well as inaccurate, as she’d squared off against nearly 60 male competitors by 1968, the year in which The Queen’s Gambit takes place, according to Variety. After its First Amendment argument was rejected in January, Netflix had an appeal tossed on Tuesday. An attorney for Gaprindashvili said they were “pleased” the matter had been resolved. A Netflix spokesperson, presumably through gritted teeth, echoed the sentiment. Details of the deal were not announced.