[imagesource: Charlie Gray / Netflix]

Since The Queen’s Gambit began airing on Netflix, interest in the age-old battle of wits has seen a massive resurgence.

Across the globe, competitors new and old find themselves staring at the board again, and it’s hoped that the series will attract a new generation of female players, in particular.

As the world’s greatest chess player, Magnus Carlsen, readily admitted in a recent interview, the sport “has not been very kind to women over the years”.

So, fancy sitting across from Beth Harmon and giving it a bash? You’re in luck, because Chess.com has created a situation where “you can now play against a virtual Beth Harmon at different ages and stages of her chess career”:

From young Beth first learning to play, all the way to her taking on the world’s top grandmasters, you can now face off against this powerful female chess player.

The virtual Beth bots currently have seven different ages/playing strengths for you to match your wits with.

These range from Beth, aged eight (“she still falls for traps and doesn’t see certain types of tactics, but she is improving quickly”) through to Beth, aged 22 (she “aspires to be the youngest World Chess Champion ever. Do you dare stand in her way?”).

Pro tip – work your way through the ranks systematically, because leaping from age eight to her latter years can be a humbling experience.

Head here to choose which Beth to battle:

Just remember, there’s no shame in losing to a prodigy, as long as you do so with grace.

[source:chess]