We’re Getting an Official Queen’s Gambit Board Game That’s Not Chess

Asmodee has announced a new board game inspired by The Queen’s Gambit, that isn’t the actual board game the show prominently features. The Queen’s Gambit: The Board Game is a new programmed movement board game about trying to stay three steps ahead of your opponent. Each player has a “Gambit” piece that they move across the board, trying to capture chess pieces. The key to the game is that moves are planned three turns in advance by laying cards down in front of them, which means that players will have to predict their opponent’s moves and then counter them accordingly. The player with the most chess pieces at the end of the game wins.

Last year, Netflix released The Queen’s Gambit, a limited series starring Anya Taylor-Joy about fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon. The series won widespread acclaim for its bold cinematography and Joy’s performances, and also led to a major resurgence in the popularity of chess. By some reports, sales of chess sets increased by more than 1,000% thanks to The Queen’s Gambit, and many professional chess players commented that the series captured accurately captured the feeling of chess. 

The Queen’s Gambit notably was Netflix’s most-watched scripted series at the time of its release with 62 million viewers and won 11 Primetime Emmy’s. Although the series was a smash hit for Netflix, Taylor-Joy was non-committal about whether The Queen’s Gambit would ever return for a second season. “Maybe,” Taylor-Joy said when asked about more episodes of the show. “Not to disappoint anybody, but we just never thought about it. It was always a sapling to tree transition. You see her grow, you leave her in a good place. So we were genuinely surprised when people were like, ‘Where’s season 2?’”

“That being said, I adore the entire team that made it and I would jump at the chance to work with them again,” the actress added.

The Queen’s Gambit board game can be played with 2-4 players and takes 15 minutes to play. The game has a retail price of $29.99 and will be released next month.