Harmon’s rise to prominence is loosely inspired by the life of American Chess Grandmaster Bobby Fischer. Fischer proved his aptitude for the game in his teenage years, becoming the youngest U.S ...

Vera Menchik, dubbed the "real-life Beth Harmon" by Chess.com, was a UK-based chess player in the early 20th century who became the first Women's World Chess Champion in 1927.

With all of its nuance and detail, Netflix's 'The Queen's Gambit' certainly feels like a biopic. And that might be because it was inspired by real chess players.

Vera Menchik astonished the chess world by taking down high-level male opponents in the 1920s and ’30s. Some call her a real-life Beth Harmon.