Where Is ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Filmed?
The Queen’s Gambit took the world by storm about a year ago, and the Netflix-original series wowed and delighted viewers across the globe. Fans of the series might be surprised to learn about where the bulk of the show was filmed, and that you can visit many of the filming locations of some of the most iconic scenes of the show. Learn more about The Queen’s Gambit, where it was filmed, and which locations you can visit below.
What’s the premise of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’?
The Queen’s Gambit miniseries is based on a novel of the same name by Walter Tevis that was published in 1983. It follows the story of Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young chess prodigy living in the 1950s and 1960s as she faces stiff competition in various chess events while also battling drug and alcohol addictions, according to Esquire.
Beth suffered from a difficult upbringing, as her mother died in a car accident when she was 9. She entered an orphanage, where she and the other children were given tranquilizers so that they would better comply with commands. After the orphanage is required to stop using tranquilizers on children, Beth suffers from withdrawal, and this substance dependence follows her throughout the series.
While at the orphanage, she also learns chess from a custodian. After getting adopted as a teenager, she enters and wins a local chess competition, and viewers see her adoptive mother support her endeavors in chess. Unfortunately, her increased success gives her the financial means to further support her addictions. The show received numerous accolades, including 18 Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Awards.
Where did the show take place?
The show mostly takes place in various cities across the United States, especially Lexington Ky., where Beth lives with her adoptive parents. Viewers also see Beth travel to Cincinnati and Las Vegas, Nev. for tournaments before she eventually goes abroad for global competitions.
Beth’s first international competition takes place in Mexico City, where she battles Bergov, a Russian world chess champion at The Aztec Palace Hotel, according to Tip Berlin. Later, our protagonist heads to Russia to participate in the Moscow Tournament, which is considered one of the biggest stages for the game.
It’s also worth mentioning that the opening scene of the entire show takes place at the Paris Tournament, so Beth also ventures to France. Although The Queen’s Gambit takes place in many states and countries, most of the show was actually filmed in Berlin, Germany.
What filming locations you can actually visit?
According to Contiki, one of the first buildings seen in the show, the orphanage where Beth grows up in Kentucky, is actually called the Schloss Schulzendorf Castle. This iconic building was erected in 1889, though it was captured by Nazi forces during World War II. The building was returned to its original owners in the 1990s, and it sits just outside of Berlin.
If you want to visit the site where the Las Vegas U.S. Open was filmed, you can head over to the Palais am Messe-Funkturm in Berlin for a visit to the 1950s ballroom. You can even book the ballroom for an event of your own if you feel so inclined, though be warned that you won’t see the palm trees featured in the show, as those were digitally added during editing.
Perhaps the easiest filming location to find comes when Beth is walking around Moscow in the final few moments of the show. This final scene was shot on Karl-Marx-Allee, Rose Garden Square, Berlin, and fans can walk around and take in the same sites Beth did.
