Orphaned at the tender age of nine, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But child stardom comes at a price.
Beth Harmon’s chess odyssey sweeps from a Kentucky orphanage to the grandmasters of Moscow, by way of Las Vegas, Mexico City and Paris – and filmed almost the entire globe-trotting journey in and around one city: Berlin. The German capital’s astonishing range of preserved architecture let it play half the world.
Where was The Queen’s Gambit filmed?
The Queen’s Gambit was filmed almost entirely in and around Berlin, Germany, which stood in for 1960s Kentucky, Las Vegas, Mexico City, Paris and Moscow – with the Harmon home shot in Cambridge, Ontario.
Every Queen’s Gambit location, explained
1
Berlin as the world
Berlin supplied nearly everything: Unter den Linden and the Friedrichstadt-Palast as glamorous hotels, the Messe Berlin as Las Vegas, and Friedrichshain’s streets as 1960s America.
2
The Moscow finale
The climactic Soviet tournament used Berlin’s grand mid-century interiors, whose Eastern-bloc architecture passed convincingly for Moscow.
3
The Harmon home – Cambridge, Ontario
The Wheatley/Harmon family house was one of the few non-Berlin locations, shot in Galt, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
4
Europe and Mexico, all in Germany
Paris and Mexico City scenes were likewise conjured from Berlin’s varied streetscapes and interiors.
Planning a visit
Berlin is the whole show – Unter den Linden, the Friedrichstadt-Palast and Friedrichshain are all real and central, and half the fun is spotting how one city played Kentucky, Vegas, Paris and Moscow.
The Queen's Gambit Fun Facts
1
One city played the whole world Berlin stood in for Kentucky, Las Vegas, Mexico City, Paris and Moscow across the series.
2
It sold out chess sets The show’s success caused a global spike in chess-set sales and online play.
3
The chess is real and accurate Grandmasters including Garry Kasparov advised on the matches, which use genuine historic games.
4
The Harmon house is Canadian One of the few non-Berlin locations, the family home was shot in Cambridge, Ontario.
5
Based on a 1983 novel It adapts Walter Tevis’s novel, decades before the series revived interest in it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was any of it filmed in Russia?
No – the Moscow finale was shot in Berlin, using its Eastern-bloc-style interiors.
Can you visit the locations?
Yes – Unter den Linden, the Friedrichstadt-Palast and Friedrichshain are all in central Berlin.
