'The Queen's Gambit' Wins Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series at 2021 Emmys

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series is never not a tight race, and this year's contenders remained neck and neck (and neck and neck and neck) up to Sunday's 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Would it go to the singular I May Destroy You? Or Mare of Easttown or WandaVision, both series that launched a million fan theories? Or perhaps one of the prestige period pieces, The Queen's Gambit or The Underground Railroad?

In the end, The Queen's Gambit was named the winner. Stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Moses Ingram joyously led the processional to the stage, where William Horberg accepted on behalf of his fellow EP, writer-director by Scott Frank, and the ensemble cast.

"The one thing that no algorithm can predict, no billion dollar budget can manufacture is word of mouth," he said. "This award is for the fans who told their friends, 'Dude, you gotta watch the orphan girl chess drama.'"

"Anya Taylor-Joy, what can I say?" Horberg continued. "You brought the sexy back to chess, and you inspired a whole generation of girls and young women to realize patriarchy simply has no defense against our queens."

The Netflix miniseries, based on Walter Tevis' 1983 novel of the same name following chess prodigy Beth Harmon (Taylor-Joy) from orphan to chess grandmaster, was nominated for 18 Emmys in total this year. The Queen's Gambit ultimately won 11, including Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

"I'm just so grateful that people connected to this story and connected with that as much as they did because she means so much to me," Taylor-Joy previous told ET. "Whenever you do a project, it kind of feels like you're throwing your baby out of a window and when people catch it, that's just the best feeling in the world."

The 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, aired live Sunday, Sept. 19 on CBS and Paramount+. For complete Emmys coverage, stay tuned to ETonline.com.

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