Anya Taylor-Joy Clarifies Queen's Gambit 2 Tweet, Claims She Was Hacked
Was it a hack—or was it for real? Anya Taylor-Joy's Twitter account sparked a flurry of interest on Monday when she appeared to tease a new season of The Queen's Gambit.
The actor, who starred as Beth Harmon in the hit Netflix series, posted a short tweet which read “The Queen’s Gambit 2.”
Immediately, fans of the series—including many chess fans worldwide—jumped on the fleeting update with some suggesting it was the beginning of a big announcement.
The Queen's Gambit 2. Yes, please.
— Michel (@AtalanteChess) January 30, 2023
But no sooner had chess fans got their hopes up, than they came crashing down again. First, the tweet disappeared and then Taylor-Joy posted a follow-up message on Instagram claiming she had been hacked.
"My Twitter has been hacked—apologies for all inconveniences. It's NOT me!"
Taylor-Joy's Instagram didn't address the hint, however. So perhaps there is still hope?
The last time Taylor-Joy posted on Twitter was November 23, 2020, one month after the release of her hit series. That was also about The Queen's Gambit.
— Anya Taylor Joy (@anyataylorjoy) November 23, 2020
The original seven-episode series, adapted from a 1983 novel written by Walter Tevis, was wildly popular. The drama saw Taylor-Joy play the role of Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy who quickly rose through the chess ranks to beat the world champion Vasily Borgov.
Released in October 2020, it became the number-one show in over 12 countries and landed Taylor-Joy an Emmy Award nomination. Over 62 million Netflix accounts watched at least part of an episode.
The show was also well-received in the chess community. Producers involved the legendary world champion Garry Kasparov and the famous chess instructor NM Bruce Pandolfini to help add authenticity and both were on set to help with all of the chess scenes.
But will it return?
Netflix has not announced anything concrete about plans to bring back The Queen’s Gambit season two, so right now it really does seem unlikely.
Chess.com has also not heard about anything in the pipeline, but as Taylor-Joy said in 2021: "Never say 'never' in Hollywood."
Leon is an award-winning former national newspaper journalist now working for Chess.com, having previously been chess24 and Chessable. His main mission is to spread the word about chess, but he is also a keen league player and secretary of Battersea Chess Club in London. In his previous career as a reporter/editor, Leon worked for The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, and The Sun, breaking many chess stories as well as writing general news and features. As an ex-hack, Leon is still always on the hunt for a good chess tale.
Contact him at leon.watson@chess.com.
