What is The Queen's Gambit's IQ Score?

The Queen's Gambit has an IQ Score of 158/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Stimulating tier. The score breaks down to 41/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 37/50 Educational Value, and 41/50 Craft & Quality.

Is The Queen's Gambit educational?

The Queen's Gambit is strong on educational value, 37/50 on TVI's rubric, which covers academic content, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, life skills, and knowledge transfer.

How does TV Intelligentsia calculate IQ Score?

TV Intelligentsia's IQ Score is calculated as round((Cognitive Stimulation × 0.4 + Educational Value × 0.35 + Craft & Quality × 0.25) × 4), scoring titles from 0 to 200 across five tiers: Masterclass (≥160), Stimulating (≥130), Competent (≥100), Passive (≥70), and Numbing (<70). The framework is published at tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/.

The Queen's Gambit , IQ Score 158/200

Name: The Queen's Gambit
Genre: drama
Rating: 158

The Queen's Gambit has an IQ Score of 158/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Stimulating tier.

By Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH·Updated 2026-06-17·Methodology

drama

158/ 200

Stimulating

Consistently challenges the viewer and rewards attention

Score Breakdown

Cognitive Stimulation/50

Educational Value/50

Craft & Quality/50

IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4) · How we score →

Saves to your browser. See your Personal IQ on My IQ →

Why you should trust this score

Scored under Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH

Physician and founding editor. Maintains the adult catalog against the published rubric and reviews the rubric application.

Methodology

Published rubric, v1.2

Formula

round(C × 0.40 + E × 0.35 + Q × 0.25) × 4

Database scale

2,338 titles, version-controlled

How we stay independent. We accept no studio money. We pay for our own streaming subscriptions. Our reviewers see no sponsor data, no affiliate revenue, and no screener access in exchange for coverage. More about how we work →

The TVI Take

Weaves chess strategy fundamentals (viewers learn to evaluate positions) with Soviet-American Cold War context and the technical/emotional complexity of performance under psychological addiction.

Characters Scored Here

People search for these characters by name. TVI doesn't invent fictional-character IQ numbers, but The Queen's Gambit's score is the honest answer to how seriously the work treats each mind.

Beth HarmonIQ →

Where to Watch

Stream