'The Queen's Gambit' series spurs boom in sales of chess board sets, strategy books

Hit miniseries "The Queen's Gambit" has led to a surge of interest in chess, with books and chess sets sales reporting unprecedented demand. Photo: Filepic

The centuries-old game of chess is suddenly cool - thanks to the TV hit The Queen's Gambit.

In the three weeks after The Queen's Gambit premiered, unit sales of chess sets jumped 87% in the United States and chess book sales rose an eye-popping 603%, according to research firm NPD Group. The spike comes after years of flat or negative growth in those categories, NPD said.