The Queen's Gambit: Truth and Fiction

The series "The Queen's Gambit" is based on the novel by American writer Walter Tevis "The Queen's Gambit", published in 1983. Beth Harmon, an orphan – her father left the family, and her mother committed suicide, ? she grows up... in an orphanage, where she is taught to be a good wife and mother, rather than an independent and strong woman. Nothing foreshadowed that Beth Harmon would become a grandmaster and world champion. Beth shows decent abilities in mathematics. Then she meets the caretaker of the orphanage, who teaches her how to play chess. And these lessons will determine her future. Beth Harmon never existed in reality, but the series features other famous chess players, including Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. The question arises – how accurate can it be considered? The authors of the book – journalists collaborating with the newspaper Le Monde, hosts of the podcast Verifiction, in which they analyze famous series – answer the following questions:
• What is the role of women in chess?
• Which chess players became prototypes for the characters in the series?
• What famous games and tournament locations are encoded in the series?
• What was the atmosphere like at the tournaments of those years?
• Do you need special abilities to play chess?
• The confrontation between the USSR and the USA – the Cold War on the chessboard?
• What is Beth Harmon's style based on?
• How closely does the series follow the novel?
• How has "The Queen's Gambit" affected the interest in chess worldwide?