One of the defining themes of The Queen’s Gambit is how gender bias impacts Beth Harmon in the male-dominated game of chess. Gender bias and discrimination have been part of chess since the game was invented in the late 15th century: The game itself was often considered best suited for men, and the spaces in which it was played—including taverns and coffeehouses—often excluded women completely. Beth experiences prejudice in chess from an early age when she joins her first tournament and finds that all the women are facing each other, having been put in a separate category despite their abilities. The greatest challenge to this bias comes from a surprising place. When Beth faces and defeats the Russians in the USSR, they accept her and praise her abilities.

From the beginning of the 20th century, the Soviet Union adopted a more accepting view of women in chess. This acceptance helped push women’s chess more into the mainstream, carving out space for women with their own tournaments and prizes, though tournaments often remained separated by gender. This gender bias in chess persists today, and psychological studies show that it has a sweeping impact on girls’ involvement in chess: