Nona Gaprindashvili says line she ‘never faced men’ in series is grossly belittling.

The female Soviet chess champion Nona Gaprindashvili is suing Netflix for $5m for a line in its hit series The Queen’s Gambit that claimed she “never played men”, calling the assertion “grossly sexist and belittling”.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday in the federal district court in Los Angeles, attempts to set the record straight in the fictional account of Beth Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who travels to Moscow for a series of chess matches against Soviet champions.

There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and has never faced men.”.

In a statement published by the newspaper, Netflix said it “has only the utmost respect for Ms Gaprindashvili and her illustrious career, but we believe this claim has no merit and will vigorously defend the case.”