Interest in Chess Skyrockets Following Airing of 'The Queen's Gambit'

A chess frenzy has swept the nation. The coronavirus pandemic has forced people holed up at home to explore new hobbies. Some turned to chess to kill some time and now interest in the game is booming thanks to the original Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit."

The seven-part show focuses on the life of orphan chess prodigy Beth Harmon, who strives to become the world's greatest chess player. Since its premiere on Oct. 23, more than 62 million households have tuned in to watch "The Queen's Gambit." Since then, interest in chess has soared.

Chess.com has seen nearly 13 million new members signup in recent months, 2.3 million of which joined in the past month, The Washington Post reported Friday. Meanwhile, amateur chess tournament PogChamps became the most-watched chess event ever after drawing 50 million viewers to its gaming platform on Twitch in June.

"It's one of those perfect storm moments" for chess, said Nick Barton, the director of business development for chess.com.

Now chess sets are selling out across the nation. One game company reported a 1,000% increase in sales, while another reported similar figures.

"Ever since 'The Queen's Gambit' launched, our chess sales have increased triple digits," Elizabeth LoVecchio, vice-president of marketing at Spin Master, told NPR last week.

The surge could lead to a chess shortage, warned Toy analyst Gerrick Johnson.

"Six months ago, a year ago, these retailers weren't saying, let's load up on chess sets," he explained. "Good luck finding a chess set this holiday!"

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