Chess, a game that can be traced back at least 1,500 years, is suddenly one of the coolest games topping wish lists this holiday season and retailers are struggling to keep it in stock.
The game’s popularity can be explained by two big factors: People are spending more time at home during the pandemic, and the popularity of “The Queen’s Gambit,” a Netflix show that follows fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon.
After the show premiered in October, sales of chess sets spiked by 87 percent in the United States, while book sales about the game rose 603 percent, according to market research firm NPD Group. The sudden gains come after flat and negative growth in those categories, according to the report.
Read more at NBC.
{Matzav.com}
I haven’t seen this show but we should be happy that, for once, it encourages a constructive way of spending time.
Thank you SO SO much for reporting this, dear Matzav.
Netflix? I didn’t even know about that before reading about it here. Thank yiu so much, I always appreciate the good leads your site offers.