Are we getting 'The Queen's Gambit' season 2? Everything fans need to know

Is it possible that The Queen's Gambit season 2 is on its way to Netflix? Has Anya Taylor-Joy swapped a cheeseburger for a chess pawn? 

In 2020, the streamer debuted its record-breaking limited series on chess champion Beth Harmon (played by Taylor-Joy), which ultimately became the most-watched Netflix show of the year. It accumulated a cool 62 million views in its first 28 days, which is definitely not too shabby!

Despite The Queen's Gambit's major success and Taylor-Joy's rise to fame following its release, showrunner Scott Frank was hesitant to build on Beth's story further, as the show was intended to be a one-off miniseries. 

"I feel like we told the story we wanted to tell, and I worry—let me put it differently— I’m terrified that if we try to tell more, we would ruin what we’ve already told," he told Deadline in 2021. 

But, considering its unmatched success and the empowerment that came with it, we remained hopeful that we'd be transported back to the '60s and once again enter Beth's world. 

Frank revealed to Taylor-Joy in that same Deadline interview: "You brought the sexy back to chess, and you inspired a whole generation of girls and young women to realize that patriarchy has no defense against our queens."

Is 'The Queen's Gambit' season 2 coming to Netflix?

After a two-year Twitter hiatus, Taylor-Joy returned to the social media channel with a brief but informative tweet on Monday, January 30 that simply read: "The Queen's Gambit 2." Roughly five minutes later, it was deleted from her timeline. Have a look at the evidence below.

Although Netflix and the show's creators have yet to comment on whether or not The Queen's Gambit season 2 is actually happening, the actor has certainly gotten fans very excited about the possibility. 

Most recently, Taylor-Joy has starred in the horror hit The Menu, a dark comedy about fine dining gone wrong, and she's set to star as Princess Peach in the forthcoming Mario Kart movie. But in our hearts, she's always going to be Beth! 

What will 'The Queen's Gambit' season 2 be about?

In the miniseries, which was modeled after the book by Walter Tevis, we follow an orphaned girl, Beth, who learns how to play chess from a janitor. She has a clear talent for the game, but the prodigy struggles to fit into a male-dominated arena and kick her addiction habits. We follow her throughout her journey with the game and her road to self-discovery. The series ends the way in which it begins: with Beth playing chess with an elderly man. 

As for a sequel, we'd likely follow up with Beth while in Russia. Does she stay abroad and compete for more championship titles, or does she travel back to the US? Does she eventually find peace without her drug and alcohol dependency? 

There are plenty of plot points the series could take—if it gets a second season—but at this time, nothing is for certain. However, Joy is certainly proud of how far her character came throughout the mini-series. 

"Whether she [Beth] stays in Russia, whether she goes back, whether she and Jolene travel around together for a while, whatever it is—now that Beth is feeling more comfortable in herself and feels like she has a home within herself, I just hope that she's content," the actor told Refinery29. 

Who will return for 'The Queen's Gambit' season 2?

Taylor-Joy would undoubtedly reprise her role as Beth Harmon should the show continue. Other possible returns include season-one cast members:

• Thomas Brodie-Sangster
• Harry Melling 
• Jacob Fortune Lloyd 
• Moses Ingram

We'll be sure to update you as soon as we learn more!

In the meantime, The Queen's Gambit is streaming on Netflix.