KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia has caught on to the effects of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit miniseries that sparked an increased interest in chess around the world.
Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF) committee member Muhammad Firdaus Ismail said many individuals, who previously had no interest in the strategic game of the mind began learning it and purchasing items related to the game since the miniseries was first streamed online on Oct 23.
“We can see that the series has influenced many viewers to learn more about chess. This, in turn, increases the demand for chess game items such as chessboard and chess-related face masks.
“Anything related to The Queen’s Gambit has also become a hot topic of discussions on social media,” he told Bernama here recently.
The Queen’s Gambit series, adapted from the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis, is reported to be the most-watched limited series, with over 62 million viewers within the first 28 days of its arrival on the streaming service.
Set in the 1950s and 1960s, The Queen’s Gambit follows the exploits of Beth Harmon (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) who started playing chess in an orphanage until she emerged as the world’s best player, despite struggling with her personal demons.
The United States’ National Public Radio portal, www.npr.org, reported that Goliath Games, an international manufacturer and supplier of chess sets to the country’s hypermarket chain, Walmart, recorded a surge of more than 1,000 per cent in chess set sales, while online sales on eBay are said to have increased by 215 per cent.
A chess enthusiast Dasmesh Kaur told Bernama that the series has inspired her and sparked her interest in learning more about chess.
“The miniseries is so complex, yet so satisfying to watch. It helps to learn the complex chess moves, both by the player and the opponent…I have never seen chess in this perspective before,” she said.
A search on Google Trend also indicates an increase in search terms such as ‘chess’ and ‘gambit’ (bait moves) from early November before showing a downward trend starting earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Firdaus, who is the manager of the national chess team, said the team was taking measures to improve its performance in preparation for the 2021 SEA Games scheduled at the end of next year, after winning its first gold medal in the Philippines SEA Games last year.
He said MCF had set up the National Junior Programme last month, which is an intensive preparatory programme for Hanoi SEA Games 2021 edition that seeks to identify new talents and train them.
A total of 10 players under the age of 21 has been identified so far, he added.
In addition, MCF plans to appoint a Grandmaster player from abroad ahead of the Games to coach the national squad, as Malaysia is yet to have a player with that title, which is the highest achievement awarded to deserving chess players by the International Chess Federation, he said.
Aside from Yeoh Li Tian, 21, who won the gold medal in the men’s Rapid Chess event in the Philippines 2019 SEA Games, another young player, Wong Yin Long, 18, is also the country’s Hanoi 2021 medal hope.
In the 2019 SEA Games, Yeoh managed to end the country’s gold medal drought in chess since the mind strategy sport was introduced for the first time in the 2003 edition in Vietnam.
The national chess squad has only managed to win a total of five bronze medals in the biennial games since the Vietnam edition.
— NNN-BERNAMA
