Netflix settled ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ lawsuit with chess grandmaster

• A lawsuit launched by a chess champion has been settled.
• Nona Gaprindashvili claimed she was defamed in an episode of The Queen’s Gambit.
• Terms of the settlement were not released, but both parties were reportedly pleased with the outcome.

A lawsuit launched by a Georgian chess master who claimed she was defamed in an episode of Netflix’s record-breaking popular series, The Queen’s Gambit, has been settled.

Nona Gaprindashvili, a chess champion, alleged that her achievements were mocked when a chess announcer in the Netflix series incorrectly reported that she had “never faced men.”

According to Gaprindashvili, by 1968, the year the series was set, she had faced 59 male competitors.

The suit was initially filed in the Federal District Court in Los Angeles in September 2021, and Netflix attempted to have it dismissed, saying that the show’s producers had extensive First Amendment rights.

A federal judge dismissed that argument in January, ruling that fictitious works are not exempt from lawsuits if they slander actual persons. The terms of the settlement were not released, but Variety reports that both sides were evidently pleased with the outcome.

“The parties are pleased that the matter has been resolved,” said attorney Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, who represented Gaprindashvili.

A Netflix spokesperson also said, “We are pleased the matter has been resolved.”

Beth Harmon [played by Anya Taylor-Joy] is a fictitious American who becomes an international chess champion in The Queen’s Gambit.

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