VERY INTERESTING NUMBER 125: QUEENS GAMBIT

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

"The Queen's Gambit" Behind-The-Scenes Facts You Probably Didn't Know, But Should

• The book that the series is based on was almost turned into a movie by Heath Ledger.

1. First, Anya Taylor-Joy joined The Queen's Gambit so early that a script didn't even exist yet — creator Scott Frank sent her a copy of Walter Tevis's novel of the same name, and she was "sold."

Anya said she immediately felt drawn to the project and literally "ran" to meet Scott and discuss it. She said, "I was so passionate about the character and story. When I got to the restaurant, I was like, 'It’s not all about chess! And she needs to be a redhead!' and he was like, 'I agree! Sit down, let’s have this discussion!'"

2. In fact, The Queen's Gambit was almost turned into a movie before this TV show — originally, Heath Ledger was set to make his directorial debut on the project before his death in 2008.

Heath reportedly loved the book and really wanted to make it a movie starring Ellen Page as Beth Harmon.

3. Anya knew nothing about chess before signing on to play Beth — she said she thinks it helped her "a lot" and allowed her to really dive into the world.

Anya explained, "Beth is discovering the world of chess, and I could bring that awe and magic to it as well."

4. Every move during the chess games was choreographed by chess consultants Garry Kasparov and Bruce Pandolfini — they also helped coach all of the actors.

Garry Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster and Bruce Pandolfini is a renowned American chess teacher.

5. Originally, creator Scott Frank asked Garry Kasparov to play Borgov in The Queen's Gambit, but he turned down the role and became a consultant instead.

Garry helped provide a lot of the background knowledge on how a chess prodigy would feel, and he designed the final chess matches in Russia during Episode 7, including the one between Borgov and Beth.