Chess popularity soars thanks to The Queen's Gambit 23 Feb, 2021 08:31 PM 6 minutes to read The Queen's Gambit has led to an increase in people taking up chess. Photo / Supplied The Queen's Gambit has led to an increase in people taking up chess. Photo / Supplied By: Donna Fleming Netflix series The Queen's Gambit has been credited with rekindling wide interest in the game of chess. by Donna Fleming. It's no mean feat creating a TV series about chess that's compelling viewing. Two people eyeballing wooden figures on a board is not exactly a recipe for riveting visual drama. But the makers of the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit have done such a good job with the story of a chess prodigy with addiction issues that it became the most popular scripted series on the streaming site, and is being credited with reviving interest in the game around the world.