Nona Gaprindashvili sues Queen's Gambit

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  • Nona Gaprindashvili sues Queen's Gambit

    No, not because it's a boring opening :D

    Barrier-breaking Soviet chess icon Nona Gaprindashvili has sued Netflix for $5 million in a defamation lawsuit over a line in the Anya Taylor-Joy starrer.

    Specifically, Gaprindashvili is perturbed by the seemingly incorrect statement in the “End Game” finale of the limited series that compares her real-life accomplishments to that of the Taylor-Joy’s fictional Beth Harmon. “The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex, and even that’s not unique in Russia,” a commentator quips as Harmon plays in a white-knuckle match in Moscow. “There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and has never faced men.”


    I mean...I wish her luck, but this seems ridiculous. I do remember the line and always thought it was a bit odd, especially because so many other fictional names were used. There's no doubt it's wrong and she has a right to be upset or ask it to be changed or have her name removed.

    But a $5M lawsuit? Seems like a stretch to prove that kind of damages for an 80-year old I'd assume if anything her potential future earnings were enhanced by the mention, even if it was inaccurate.

  • #2
    It will be interesting to see how it plays out. There have been law suits in the states that have been brought forward on a lot less. I guess it depends on the court and the judge.

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    • #3
      Nona has a strong case, since the quoted line can be shown to be clearly false. She played many top male players during her career, as this board documented a few months ago. Whether this will translate into a large financial payout is another matter. My guess is that Nona would settle for an on-the-record apology, paired with a small settlement. Perhaps $10k U.S. would do it. The case's publicity would actually help the show even more, I would think!

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      • #4
        honestly seems like a perfectly valid complaint. ive no idea how she landed on that tidy 5mil sum, but the argument itself makes enough sense.

        will be interesting to watch it play out

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Hans Jung View Post
          It will be interesting to see how it plays out. There have been law suits in the states that have been brought forward on a lot less. I guess it depends on the court and the judge.
          https://jacobinmag.com/2021/09/netfl...wsuit-champion

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Francis Rodriguez View Post
            He makes an excellent case. Whats even worse is if they had left the one line out of the dialogue it wouldnt have affected the show (or even just her name)

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            • #7
              It is a valid complaint but 5 millions for that !! They just stated the facts wrongly. Not the first time in Hollywood ! I wonder why they did not say the truth that Gaprindashvili had beaten several grandmasters, but not many very strong ones. It will be settled off court probably for $500, 000 :-))

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              • #8
                I took the comment to mean "she never faced men in earning her world championship"
                Paul Leblanc
                Treasurer Chess Foundation of Canada

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                • #9
                  She has zero case. They said nothing. A fictional character made an inaccurate statement in a teleplay. That is not the basis for any lawsuit, and what’s more, she suffered exactly zero damages. The only people who ever heard of her already knew that was wrong.

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                  • #10
                    The key factor may be that California state law could apply with this case. Since entertainment and its creation is such an important part of that state's economy, legal provisions protecting reputations of Californians, and those mentioned in the works they create, are stronger than for many other American states and nations. This would be the case although the mistake was very likely inadvertent.
                    I believe Nona will probably settle for Netflix to do the following: offer an apology for the mistake, her legal costs paid, perhaps a small damages award, and the mistake to be corrected for future broadcasts of the offending episode (s).
                    The show did win a couple of Emmy awards, so far.

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                    • #11
                      Nona's early competitive career was spectacular. She was born in 1941. Using chessmetrics.com, I have found her first international top-class all-women's events:
                      1961: Women's Candidates', Vrnjacka Banja, Yugoslavia, 13/16, first place.
                      1962: Women's World Championship match vs. IM Elisabeta Bykova (born 1913), Moscow, wins with 9/11 (+7, =4).
                      1963: Women's Olympiad, Split, Yugoslavia, board one for USSR, 11.5/12, team and board gold medals.
                      Interestingly, she did not win the Soviet Women's title until 1964, scoring 15/19 at Tbilisi (see wikipedia.org). I haven't been able to find data on her earlier attempts at this title.
                      The first men's event which I have found that she played in was Hastings 'B' 1963-64, a ten-player round-robin, where she scored 6.5/9 to tie for first with the young Swede Ove Kinmark. This was a 2426 chessmetrics performance rating.

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                      • #12
                        Nona had a flair for attack - many brilliant attacking games.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Hans Jung View Post

                          He makes an excellent case. Whats even worse is if they had left the one line out of the dialogue it wouldnt have affected the show (or even just her name)
                          Just finished seeing the series a couple of days back, and felt the same away. A very careless statement that, besides being false and useless, comes across as being disrespectful to other women players, and Nona in particular.

                          More than money, I would imagine Nona is fighting for pride.

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