The character played by Anya Taylor-Joy in The Queen’s Gambit is Beth Harmon. Her full name is Elizabeth Harmon, but she is most commonly called Beth throughout the story.
Beth is a fictional American chess prodigy created by novelist Walter Tevis for his 1983 novel The Queen’s Gambit. The Netflix adaptation follows her from childhood in Kentucky through her rise in competitive chess during the 1950s and 1960s. Isla Johnston plays Beth as a child, while Annabeth Kelly portrays her at an even younger age; Taylor-Joy plays the older teenage and adult version.
The character’s chess talent develops after she learns the game from the orphanage custodian, Mr. Shaibel. Her success is intertwined with struggles involving tranquilizers, alcohol, grief, and isolation. A common mix-up is Alice Harmon: Alice is Beth’s biological mother, not Beth herself. The series title refers to the Queen’s Gambit, a real chess opening, rather than to the heroine’s surname.