Queens Gambit

Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen remains the king of chess. The World Chess Championship tends to be a very close battle. In his previous title defense against Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, the American challenger proved to be the Norwegian World Champion’s equal after twelve games and twelve draws. …

Chess is.. Uhh… well… to put it lightly…. Boring. Don’t get me wrong, I like playing chess as much as the next guy, but it’s not the most exciting game…

Addiction, obscurity and how Walter Tevis’ childhood experience at Stanford shaped Beth Harmon’s backstory. If you’re having a hard time purchasing a chess set for Christmas this year — blame Walter Tevis. Yes, the surge of interest in the age-old game (and the ensuing retail run on chess sets) has…

Certain TV shows have captured the collective hearts (and eyes) of the millions of people working and staying at home during the pandemic. Starting with Tiger King, a number of shows have exploded in popularity, and perhaps none bigger than The Queen’s Gambit. Based on the novel by Walter Tevis…

I recalled the time when I was deeply influenced by the fantasy world of Harry Potter. The movie inspired me by its character sketch, dialogue, and the author J.K Rowling’s powerful storytelling.

William Horberg is a producer and writer, and the chair emeritus of the Producers Guild of America on the East Coast. He is the Emmy-Award Winning Executive Producer of the Netflix hit The Queens Gambit, which won eleven Emmys, including one of the year’s top awards, Outstanding Limited Series, at…

We published a blog awhile back about the debate < → battlefield metaphor. In fact, I think it’s the most appropriate — a castle siege, a battle. After all, debate is inherently competitive. And relating it to a sport other than an ancient battlefield feels like it cheapens the metaphor. …

Would you like to lead a meeting as strategically as Beth Harmon plays chess? Beth Harmon skillfully shows us that chess can be ‘almost sexy’. Mind you, those clothes, with that haircut, and Beth’s unique looks sure helped. Men and women alike adored her. …

The Queen’s Gambit, Tomb Raider, and Atomic Blonde are some of the many female-led stories that have come out in the more recent years, and it’s been absolutely brilliant to see female protagonists be widely explored on screen. Unfortunately, a great many of these films have been directed with a…