Netflix said the allegations were "baseless".

The company said it had "only the greatest respect" for Gaprindashvili and his "brilliant career" but would "strongly defend" the case. The Queen's Gambit is based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis also  focuses on a fictional chess game named Beth Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. The series was released last year and is what Netflix calls "the biggest limited edition screenplay series to date".

In the final episode, the  commentator mentions Gaprindashvili when describing Harmon. "The only thing that is strange about him is his gender. And even that is not only happening in Russia. He has Miss Gaprindashvili, but he is the women's world champion and has never met Men." . "

The 25-page lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Federal District Court on Thursday reads: What other women, including Gaprindashvili, did not do. "

He added: "The claim that Gaprindashvili" has never met a man is "clearly untrue, as well as very sexist and demeaning". Media caption Alan Scott: Queen Gambit streaming series "straight beyond Walter Tevis' imagination".

Born in 1941 in the Georgian city of Zugdidi, Gaprindashvili began playing chess at the age of 13, became the women's world champion at the age of 20 and, according to experiments.

"As of 1968", the court said, "Gaprindashvili played against at least 59 male chess players (28 of them simultaneously in one match), including at least 10 grandmasters at the time."

Gaprindashvili, who lives in Tbilisi also continues to compete in chess tournaments, is seeking $5 million (£3.6m) in compensation and overturning claims he has never played against men. The lawsuit alleges that the order was altered by the book on which the series is based. According to Netflix, Queen's Gambit was seen in more than 62 million households in its first 28 days of release.