Jennifer Shahade at the London Chess Classic, December 18, 2015. (YouTube screenshot)
LONDON (Jewish News) Long before Beth Harmon burst onto our screens as a flame-haired chess prodigy in “The Queen’s Gambit,” Jennifer Shahade was checkmating her way to the very top of her field.
In fact, the 40-year-old is a two-time US Women’s Chess Champion and the World Chess Federation (FIDE) bestowed Shahade with the title of Woman Grandmaster, putting her on a par with the likes of iconic male competitors, including Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov.
So rather than being a work of fiction, Shahade knows women can rise to the top in chess just like in “The Queen’s Gambit” and is hopeful Netflix’s most-watched limited series ever will encourage others to take up the game.