Netflix has settled a lawsuit filed against the company by Soviet and Georgian chess player Nona Gaprindashvili, Deadline writes . Gaprindashvili demanded 5 million dollars because of the final episode of the series "The Queen's Move": in it she was called a "chess player" who "never played with men" and stated that she was from Russia.
Gaprindashvili filed a lawsuit in September last year. The heroine of the series – the fictional chess player Beth Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy – participates in the main tournament of her life along with men. The action takes place in 1968, and Gaprindashvili is mentioned in one of the episodes: “This is not surprising for Russia. There is Nona Gaprindashvili, but she is the world champion among women and has never played with men.”
Gaprindashvili then said that this devalues her achievements: at that time she played with 60 men, and 10 of them were grandmasters. She called the phrase "extremely sexist and degrading." She demanded to pay her compensation and remove the moment from the series.
The terms of the agreement with Netflix are confidential. Some details will be published, but later.
“This [process] is an epic game of the Georgian legend, which she won again. Another example of the fact that the struggle always has a meaning,” said the lawyer of the chess player Kakha Sharabidze.
Nona Gaprindashvili is a five-time world chess champion. She first received this title in 1962. She won the World Chess Olympiad 11 times and became the first female international grandmaster among men.
On September 6, another big scandal happened in chess: the world champion Magnus Carlsen refused to play at the Sinquefield Cup supertournament in St. Louis right before the fourth round. Prior to that, the Norwegian lost to the American Hans Niemann – he had the lowest among the participants. Carlsen hinted that Nieman was cheating and getting tips. The American denies this.