The Queen’s Gambit and Soviet-American Chess Rivalry: Reality and Fiction with Vadim Malinovsky

Join Russian historian Vadim Malinovsky to explore the world of competitive chess. Inspired by the recent success of The Queen's Gambit, this seminar will look at chess from a historical perspective and provide a Russian point of view on the runaway hit Netflix series.

The Queen’s Gambit is one of the most popular series of 2020, not just in the USA. Russians tuned in to the Netflix blockbuster in record numbers and to rave reviews. Legendary Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov consulted on the show to recreate the intense atmosphere of high-level chess competitions. Chess insiders say he got it mostly right, and in this seminar, we will also take a look at where he missed the mark. Using examples from the famous Fischer-Spassky “Match of the Century” and Nabokov’s novel, The Luzhin Defense, this seminar will explore the most illustrious chess rivalries in history.

Then, we will take a step back to discuss how chess became the stage for Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. We will look at confrontations on the chessboard and geopolitics from a Russian perspective and discuss how the show portrayed this period of history.

Led by an expert on Russian history, Vadim Malinovsky, this interactive seminar will explore the history of USA-Russian chess rivalries in the context of The Queen’s Gambit. Designed to inform curiosity and future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of Cold War Russia and the role of competitive chess in international relations.

Vadim is a historian (MA) who has graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University. His focus is contemporary Russian history. He is working on a Ph.D. dissertation on Stalin’s national policy.

This conversation is suitable for all ages

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.