Sep 17, 2021
Chess icon sues Netflix for Queen's Gambit portrayal
The case refers to a sequence in the drama's final episode which says Gaprindashvili, now 80, had never played competitive chess with men. In the final episode, a commentator mentions Gaprindashvili when describing Harmon: "The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex. And even that's not unique in Russia. There's Nona Gaprindashvili, but she's the female world champion and has never faced men." The 25-page case filed in the Federal District Court in Los Angeles on Thursday said: "Netflix brazenly and deliberately lied about Gaprindashvili's achievements for the cheap and cynical purpose of 'heightening the drama' by making it appear that its fictional hero had managed to do what no other woman, including Gaprindashvili, had done." Born in 1941 in the Georgian town of Zugdidi, Gaprindashvili began playing chess at the age of 13, became female World Championship at 20 and was the first woman to be awarded the title of grandmaster, according to the lawsuit. Gaprindashvili, who lives in Tbilisi and continues to compete in chess tournaments, is seeking $5m in compensation and the removal of the statement that she had never played against men.
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