Halloween
The cast of The Queen's Gambit

6 DIY The Queen’s Gambit Group Halloween Costume Ideas

You can fight over who gets to be Beth.

by Ani Bundel
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Netflix
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It’s been about a year since The Queen’s Gambit debuted on Netflix in October 2020. The chess-centric story of Beth Harmon’s rise as one of the first women chess players on the competitive circuit in the 1950s and ‘60s was a surprise hit and one of Netflix’s biggest shows of the year. With its recent 2021 Emmy wins, the show is back in the spotlight and ripe for use as part of this year’s Halloween costumes. So, these DIY The Queen’s Gambit group Halloween costumes are perfect for anyone looking to be both timely and fashionable.

Based on the book of the same name by the late author Walter Tevis, The Queen’s Gambit centers around chess prodigy Beth Harmon. But although she feels alone in the world, she’s rarely by herself during any period of her life. From friends like Jolene and guardians like Alma to competitors like Harry Belik, Benny Watts, and the ultimate Russian Grandmaster Vasily Borgov, she’s not often without someone by her side. That’s a perfect basis for a group costume set, especially for a bunch of friends looking for diverse costume options.

So, let’s set up the board and lay out the pieces everyone will need to play this game on Halloween.

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Beth Harmon Halloween Costume

Netflix

Beth Harmon wears many iconic but hard-to-replicate outfits throughout The Queen’s Gambit, most of which are chess-inspired designs. One of the most iconic looks is the 1960s dress she wears when she first starts buying herself fancy clothing, complete with a chessboard-inspired colorblock.

Of course, no Beth outfit is complete without the hair. Etsy has both styles of wig that she sports in the series.

And don’t forget her beloved copy of H. Golombek’s The Game of Chess.

Jolene Halloween Costume

Netflix

Beth's childhood BFF Jolene disappears for a broad section of The Queen’s Gambit, but her return is like a thunderclap that Beth needs to hear. Her outfit is also a beauty, and luckily, one that’s not so hard to replicate.

Alma Wheatley Halloween Costume

Netflix

Beth’s guardian Alma may not make the healthiest of choices for an impressionable young woman, but she looks respectable from the outside, and that’s what matters on Halloween, right?!

Harry Beltik Halloween Costume

Netflix

The various men in Beth’s lives never dress nearly as fancily as she does. They also tend to gravitate to a uniform look, which makes replicating them relatively easy. With Harry Beltik, it’s a golf jacket, a polo shirt, and his trusty wooden traveling chess set.

Benny Watts Halloween Costume

Netflix

Listen, I’m not saying you need to grow Benny Watt’s mustache; I’m just suggesting it adds to the chess playin’ cowboy’s swagger. You *do* need the coat and the hat, and perhaps a chess clock to carry at all times, just in case a game of speed chess breaks out.

Vasily Borgov Halloween Costume

Netflix

Beth’s ultimate rival is a natty dresser for the 1960s, which means a lot of brown and a nice shirt and tie to match. Luckily, Amazon has three-piece vintage suits at actually affordable prices. Smile and respectful handshake for when you lose are at your discretion.

The Queen’s Gambit is streaming on Netflix.

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