MILWAUKEE — The Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit has taken audiences by storm.
The show has been viewed by 62 million households since debuting on Oct. 23. It follows Beth Harmon–a female chess prodigy–in her quest to become the best player in the world.
Toy companies say the show’s popularity has chess boards flying off the shelves, but interest in the game was climbing even before the Netflix release.
“Chess has been growing nationally for the last 20 years, almost exponentially,” said Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Federation Executive Director Bob Patterson-Sumwalt. “It’s a compelling story. It’s more of a coming-of-age story and chess is the vehicle.”
While it may be hard to pinpoint exactly how many were drawn to the game because of the show, the more interest the better.
“We know that chess makes kids smarter in many ways,” Patterson-Sumwalt said. “It teaches them to be logical thinkers. It teaches them to be good sports…they experience achievement.”
You can find out more from the Wisconsin Scholastic Chess federation here.
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