The Georgian chess player Nona Gaprindashvili has sued the streaming service Netflix for five million dollars (4.24 million euros) in damages for her portrayal in the successful mini-series “The Queen's Gambit”.
The portrayal of her person is "sexist and derogatory," says the complaint that Gaprindashvili submitted to a California court.
"Netflix lied boldly and knowingly about Gaprindashvili's achievements," the complaint criticized. The claim by one of the characters in the series that the Georgian never competed against men in chess tournaments was "proven to be false". To make matters worse, Gaprindashvili was described in the “Queen's Gambit” as a Russian instead of a Georgian. Netflix assured in a statement that the company had "the greatest respect for Ms. Gaprindashvili and her brilliant career".
Born in 1941 in Zugdidi, western Georgia, Gaprindashvili started playing chess at the age of 13. At 20, she won the women's world chess championship. She defended her title four times before it was stolen from her in 1978 by another Georgian, then 17-year-old Maia Chiburdanidze. In the same year Gaprindashvili was the first woman to be declared grandmaster by the International Chess Federation (Fide).
“The Queen's Gambit” is Netflix's most successful mini-series. According to the streaming service, 62 million households watched the story of the fictional chess genius Beth Harmon in the first 28 days alone. The series starring Anya Taylor-Joy boosted chessboard sales worldwide and is the favorite at this year's Emmy Awards for the Best Mini-Series Award.