Answers.Body: <p>In addition to <a href="https://chess.stackexchange.com/a/40245">SecretAgentMan's answer</a>, one reason why the series wouldn't influence the popularity of the opening is that in some countries the translation of the title isn't faithful:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>In Italian the series was called &quot;<a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_regina_degli_scacchi_(miniserie_televisiva)" rel="noreferrer">La regina degli scacchi</a>&quot;, which literally means &quot;The queen of chess&quot;.</li>
  <li>In French it was called &quot;<a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Jeu_de_la_dame" rel="noreferrer">Le Jeu de la dame</a>&quot;, which means &quot;The game of the queen&quot;.</li>
  </ul>
  <p>There are possibly other countries where the translation departed from the original title. Those who watched the series in these languages wouldn't even know that the title references an opening, so obviously they couldn't have been influenced.</p>
  
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Answers.Text: Excellent point (+1). Your links qualify as evidence in my view.
Answers.UserDisplayName: SecretAgentMan
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Answers.Text: interesting note, in the series when beth is learning the "queens gambit" her teacher plays 1.d4 and calls it the queens gambit! as i'm sure you know, the queens gambit is not reached until 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 or some other transposition
Answers.UserDisplayName: brekker
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Answers.Text: @brekker With 2... e6 it's the [Queen's gambit declined](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Gambit_Declined); for the gambit you only need 1.d4 d5 2.c4. But if they already call it Queen's gambit after 1. d4, you are right, it's too early.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Fabio says Reinstate Monica
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Fabio says Reinstate Monica
Answers.Body: <p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen%27s_Gambit_(miniseries)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Queen's Gambit series</a> debuted on 23 October 2020. The <a href="https://lichess.org/analysis#explorer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Lichess Opening Explorer</a> provides access to the number of games by opening stratified by average rating and/or time control for set time horizon.</p>
  <p><strong>Impact on First Move:</strong><br />
  Looking at all games played on Lichess by Year, there appears to be no significant increase in the proportion of games that begin with <strong>1. d4</strong>.</p>
  <p><strong>Second Move:</strong><br />
  Restricting the data to games that begin with <strong>1. d4 d5</strong>, the proportion of games that continue <strong>2. c4</strong> appear to decline; this is likely due to an unfortunate increase in popularity for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_System" rel="nofollow noreferrer">London System</a>.</p>
  <p><strong>Limitations:</strong><br />
  There may be argument that players most likely to have their opening influenced by a show are likely to lower rated. If true, then it may be worth repeating the analysis using game data from lower rated players. It is worth noting that Lichess' opening explorer cannot provide data any lower than average rating of 1600***. Even though Lichess seeds new accounts at 1500, many beginning accounts likely fall below this value (<a href="https://lichess.org/stat/rating/distribution/classical" rel="nofollow noreferrer">classical</a>, <a href="https://lichess.org/stat/rating/distribution/rapid" rel="nofollow noreferrer">rapid</a>, <a href="https://lichess.org/stat/rating/distribution/blitz" rel="nofollow noreferrer">blitz</a>).</p>
  <p><sub>***Lichess has since added new functionality to the Opening Explorer which invalidates this statement. Updated data pending.</sub></p>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/BTqV1.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/BTqV1.png" alt="Percent of Total Games Played on Lichess by First Move" /></a></p>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/VjZyx.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/VjZyx.png" alt="Percent of Total Games Played on Lichess Starting 1. d4 d5 by Second Move" /></a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
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Answers.Text: Is the source of your plot the lichess opening explorer?
Answers.UserDisplayName: ferdy
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Answers.Text: @ferdy Yes. Imperfect but best I could do.
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Answers.Text: "It is worth noting that Lichess' opening explorer cannot provide data any lower than average rating of 1600. " - Looks like they changed that now; it goes down to 600. Not sure if it's worth updating to include those weaker players.
Answers.UserDisplayName: D M
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Answers.Text: @DM Yeah, I noticed that last week too.  I'll try to do it when I get the time.  Thanks for the heads up.
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Body: <p>A number of sources have commented on the impact of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen%27s_Gambit_(miniseries)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Queen's Gambit series</a> on the chess world, usually referring to online chess:</p>
  <ul>
  <li><a href="https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mje/2021/04/05/the-queens-gambit-the-chess-boom-and-the-future-of-chess/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Queen’s Gambit, the Chess Boom, and the Future of Chess</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://towardsdatascience.com/how-has-the-queens-gambit-impacted-the-popularity-of-online-chess-43594efe5a98" rel="nofollow noreferrer">How has The Queen’s Gambit impacted the popularity of online chess?</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://theboar.org/2021/01/the-impact-of-the-queens-gambit-on-the-game-of-chess/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The impact of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ on the game of chess</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/06/us/queens-gambit-chess-popularity-trnd/index.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is sparking a surge of interest in chess</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/nov/29/chess-world-hails-queens-gambit-fuelled-boom" rel="nofollow noreferrer">'It's electrifying': chess world hails Queen's Gambit-fuelled boom</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/chess-queens-gambit-boosting-player-interest-pandemic" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Online chess classes see record interest amid pandemic, and after release of Netflix's 'The Queen's Gambit'</a></li>
  </ul>
  <p>With this effect so well-documented, <strong>is there any evidence that the Queen's Gambit series affected the popularity of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Gambit" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Queen's Gambit opening</a>?</strong></p>
  <pre><code>[Title &quot;The Queen's Gambit&quot;]
  [FEN &quot;&quot;]
  [startply &quot;3&quot;]
  
  1. d4 d5 2. c4
  </code></pre>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-07-23T23:18:52.887Z
Comments.Text: I realize that comments are not required for downvotes but I'd welcome constructive criticism.  Happy to do the work to improve the question for the downvoter.
Comments.UserDisplayName: SecretAgentMan
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-07-25T13:50:20.883Z
Comments.Text: Was this opening even featured in the show?  It's been a while since I watched it, but I don't recall the title being anything more than metaphorical.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Darrel Hoffman
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-07-25T16:25:32.003Z
Comments.Text: @DarrelHoffman I acknowledge the show did not train viewers on opening theory.  Just a question that came to my mind.
Comments.UserDisplayName: SecretAgentMan
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-07-25T17:16:42.593Z
Comments.Text: They should have named the series Bongcloud so we can see the real stats
Comments.UserDisplayName: cmgchess
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-07-26T10:21:26.893Z
Comments.Text: A better question would be "did the number of drawn games drop?", as almost all games on the Queen's Gambit were conclusive.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Abigail
Tags: <opening><statistics><queens-gambit>
Title: Did the Queen's Gambit series lead to an increased popularity of the Queen's Gambit opening?
ThreadText: # Did the Queen's Gambit series lead to an increased popularity of the Queen's Gambit opening?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-23)
  
  A number of sources have commented on the impact of the Queen's Gambit series on the chess world, usually referring to online chess:
  
  The Queen’s Gambit, the Chess Boom, and the Future of Chess
  How has The Queen’s Gambit impacted the popularity of online chess?
  The impact of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ on the game of chess
  ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is sparking a surge of interest in chess
  'It's electrifying': chess world hails Queen's Gambit-fuelled boom
  Online chess classes see record interest amid pandemic, and after release of Netflix's 'The Queen's Gambit'
  
  With this effect so well-documented, is there any evidence that the Queen's Gambit series affected the popularity of the Queen's Gambit opening?
  [Title "The Queen's Gambit"]
  [FEN ""]
  [startply "3"]
  
  1. d4 d5 2. c4
  
  **Tags:** opening, statistics, queens-gambit
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: I realize that comments are not required for downvotes but I'd welcome constructive criticism.  Happy to do the work to improve the question for the downvoter.  
  > **username_1**: Was this opening even featured in the show?  It's been a while since I watched it, but I don't recall the title being anything more than metaphorical.  
  > **username_0**: @DarrelHoffman I acknowledge the show did not train viewers on opening theory.  Just a question that came to my mind.  
  > **username_2**: They should have named the series Bongcloud so we can see the real stats  
  > **username_3**: A better question would be "did the number of drawn games drop?", as almost all games on the Queen's Gambit were conclusive.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_0 on 2022-07-23. Score: 30 | Accepted answer
  
  The [Queen's Gambit series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Queen%27s_Gambit_(miniseries)) debuted on 23 October 2020. The [Lichess Opening Explorer](https://lichess.org/analysis#explorer) provides access to the number of games by opening stratified by average rating and/or time control for set time horizon.
  
  **Impact on First Move:**  
  Looking at all games played on Lichess by Year, there appears to be no significant increase in the proportion of games that begin with **1. d4**.
  
  **Second Move:**  
  Restricting the data to games that begin with **1. d4 d5**, the proportion of games that continue **2. c4** appear to decline; this is likely due to an unfortunate increase in popularity for the [London System](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_System).
  
  **Limitations:**  
  There may be argument that players most likely to have their opening influenced by a show are likely to lower rated. If true, then it may be worth repeating the analysis using game data from lower rated players. It is worth noting that Lichess' opening explorer cannot provide data any lower than average rating of 1600\*\*\*. Even though Lichess seeds new accounts at 1500, many beginning accounts likely fall below this value ([classical](https://lichess.org/stat/rating/distribution/classical), [rapid](https://lichess.org/stat/rating/distribution/rapid), [blitz](https://lichess.org/stat/rating/distribution/blitz)).
  
  \*\*\*Lichess has since added new functionality to the Opening Explorer which invalidates this statement. Updated data pending.
  
  [![Percent of Total Games Played on Lichess by First Move](https://i.sstatic.net/BTqV1.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/BTqV1.png)
  
  [![Percent of Total Games Played on Lichess Starting 1. d4 d5 by Second Move](https://i.sstatic.net/VjZyx.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/VjZyx.png)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_6**: Is the source of your plot the lichess opening explorer?  
  > **username_0**: @username_6 Yes. Imperfect but best I could do.  
  > **username_7**: "It is worth noting that Lichess' opening explorer cannot provide data any lower than average rating of 1600. " - Looks like they changed that now; it goes down to 600. Not sure if it's worth updating to include those weaker players.  
  > **username_0**: @DM Yeah, I noticed that last week too.  I'll try to do it when I get the time.  Thanks for the heads up.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2022-07-25. Score: 12
  
  In addition to [username_0's answer](https://chess.stackexchange.com/a/40245), one reason why the series wouldn't influence the popularity of the opening is that in some countries the translation of the title isn't faithful:
  
  * In Italian the series was called "[La regina degli scacchi](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_regina_degli_scacchi_(miniserie_televisiva))", which literally means "The queen of chess".
  * In French it was called "[Le Jeu de la dame](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Jeu_de_la_dame)", which means "The game of the queen".
  
  There are possibly other countries where the translation departed from the original title. Those who watched the series in these languages wouldn't even know that the title references an opening, so obviously they couldn't have been influenced.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Excellent point (+1). Your links qualify as evidence in my view.  
  > **username_5**: interesting note, in the series when beth is learning the "queens gambit" her teacher plays 1.d4 and calls it the queens gambit! as i'm sure you know, the queens gambit is not reached until 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 or some other transposition  
  > **username_4**: @username_5 With 2... e6 it's the [Queen's gambit declined](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Gambit_Declined); for the gambit you only need 1.d4 d5 2.c4. But if they already call it Queen's gambit after 1. d4, you are right, it's too early.  
  
  ---
  
  