Netflix's The Queen's Gambit has proven to be immensely popular, becoming the streaming service's most watched miniseries of all-time. In addition to gripping, novelistic storytelling, the show also benefited from the accuracy of its portrayal of how the game is played, its history and its community. Much of this success can be traced to the work of consultant Bruce Pandolfini, as well as Garry Kasparov, one of chess' most famous champions and ambassadors.

Despite its immense popularity -- about 605 million people play regularly -- the game is often botched in its onscreen depictions. Even big-budget films, like Captain America: Civil War, are not immune to these errors, as in a few shots it's clear that a chess board's pieces are placed incorrectly. While these mistakes may seem minor, to those who understand the rules, it's similar to seeing a football player passing a cricket ball in a movie.

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For the original 1983 book of the same name, author Walter Tevis used his own experience and sought out the help of experts like Pandolfini to make sure the depictions of the game were as accurate as possible. However, an onscreen adaptation would require changes to adapt the narrative to a visual medium.

In an interview with independent Russian channel Dozhd, which is only available in its native Russian at this time, Kasparov explained that he was originally approached by the production to play Vasily Borgov, Beth Harmon's Russian rival. Although he was not able to commit to the time required for the role, Kasparov decided to help the crew with how chess was played. Several consultants, including Pandolfini, were already working on the team, but Kasparov's experience as a grandmaster and chess prodigy who became the undisputed World Champion at the same age as Beth would be difficult to equal.

The chess grandmaster seemingly worked the most on developing authentic games for Beth to play, which were inspired, but not copied directly, from actual masters of the sport. In one example, he mentions that the season's final game was an amended version of a match between Vassily Ivanchuk and Patrick Wolff at the 1993 Biel Interzonal Tournament. Wolff even contacted Kasparov after he watched the show and said he recognized his own moves.

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Surprisingly, he also gave the production some pointers on topics he wasn't initially brought in for. In Episode 4, "The Middle Game," he suggested adding a scene in an elevator where Borgov refuses to underestimate Beth because she is an orphan who will fight because she has nothing to lose.

Kasparov's own background living behind the Iron Curtain also came in handy. He mentions how the show originally intended to portray Borgov traveling abroad with his family and no KGB agents accompanying him, something the Russian pointed out would not be realistic for the USSR in the 1960s. He also explained that in a scene where Beth approaches several amateurs playing chess in Moscow, the players would not refer to her by her full name, but they would call her "Lisa," the preferred Russian method for referring to people named Elizabeth.

These changes, among a number of others, may not have been groundbreaking or particularly noticeable to American audiences. However, across the Atlantic, they were incredibly well-received in Russia, where many have praised the series for its quality and authentic depiction of their country's society and culture.

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After all, chess was immensely popular in the USSR in the 1950s and '60s, when upwards of seven or eight of the world's top ten classically-rated players came from the country. At the time of writing, Russia still has more than twice as many Grandmasters and International Masters as any other country.

Ultimately, the decision to hire a renowned figure like Kasparov, and to give him the chance to contribute on topics not related to chess, only improved the show. This is just one testament to the commitment to quality that helped the miniseries find so much success with audiences worldwide.

Streaming now on Netflix, Queen's Gambit stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Isla Johnson, Bill Camp, Moses Ingram, Christiane Seidel, Rebecca Root, Chloe Pirrie, Akemnji Ndifornyn, Marielle Heller, Harry Melling, Patrick Kennedy, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Marcin Dorocinski.

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