Despite the announcer’s confident assertion that she has never gone up against a male competitor, Gaprindashvili and her legal team say this statement is not only “manifestly false” but also “grossly sexist and belittling,” writing in the legal filing that at the time of the fictional match, the now 80-year-old chess legend had competed against at least 59 male players.
“Netflix brazenly and deliberately lied about Gaprindashvili’s achievements for the cheap and cynical purpose of ‘heightening the drama’ by making it appear that its fictional hero had managed to do what no other woman, including Gaprindashvili, had done,” reads the lawsuit, per BBC News.
Furthermore, Alexander Rufus-Isaacs, one of the chess icon’s attorneys, told NPR this inaccuracy seemingly weakens the show’s message of women’s empowerment. “We think it’s a very shabby thing of them to have done,” Rufus-Isaacs explained. “This whole program, The Queen’s Gambit, is aimed to show that women can succeed, and how their heroine overcame prejudice. But in doing so, they trashed the real person who had really been the trailblazer,” he continued, later adding that the show should have either used the book’s exact wording surrounding his client or used a fictional name.
Despite these bold claims, the streaming giant has denied any wrongdoing. “Netflix has only the utmost respect for Ms. Gaprindashvili and her illustrious career, but we believe this claim has no merit and will vigorously defend the case,” the service said in a statement.
Top Image: Netflix/Hans Peters / Anefo
For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ on TikTok as @HuntressThompson_, and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.
Related: ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Is Being Turned Into a Musical
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