Rolling Stone ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ and 5 Other Books About Chess Prodigies These inspiring books on chess stars both real and fictional might just move you to improve your game By AP Products featured are independently selected by our editorial team and we may earn a commission from purchases made from our links; the retailer may also receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. If you, too, were on the edge of your seat while binge-watching Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, you’re not alone. Based on the 1983 Walter Tevis book of the same name (which takes its title from a popular move), the limited-run series about fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor Joy) set viewership records to the tune of 62 million households in its first 28 days, says the streaming service. The coming-of-age story follows orphaned Harmon as she rises through the ranks in the Sixties and Seventies, proving to be (spoiler alert!) the pandemic’s welcomed feel-good sleeper hit.