Magnus Carlsen’s ‘forbidden jeans can now be yours’, auction bid reaches ₹6.93 lakh

During the World Rapid Championship, Magnus Carlsen fell out with FIDE after he turned up in a pair of jeans.

Magnus Carlsen is no stranger to controversy, and the World No. 1 has been in the middle of it for the past few months. Other than FIDE’s tussle with the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, co-owned by the Norwegian, the world body also had to deal with his antics during 2024’s year-ending World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York.

Carlsen walks out of tournament on Day 2 of the rapid event (X/Fide)(HT_PRINT)

During the Rapid Tournament, Carlsen fell out with FIDE after he turned up in a pair of jeans. He was warned by the arbiter that it did not adhere with the dress code and he was fined 200 dollars and was asked to change it before the next round on the same day. The World No. 1 declined and he said he would change it for the next day, and then he was expelled. Although he was allowed to return the next day if he would adhere to the dress code, Carlsen pulled out and slammed the Arkady Dvorkovich-led body.

Magnus Carlsen’s ‘forbidden jeans can now be yours’

Now in a hilarious turn of events, Carlsen has put up the jeans for auction, for a charitable cause. He wrote on social media, “The forbidden jeans – can now be yours. I am auctioning my jeans. A sentence I never thought I would write. But here we are. All proceeds go to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.”

The apparel has been listed as “Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen’s #JeansGate Jeans”, and after 35 bids has reached approximately ₹6.93 lakhs. Meanwhile, the listing has also received over 36,000 clicks, and it will continue for 10 more days.

Although he did return for the Blitz Tournament, he once again invited another as he and the finalist shared the title in controversial circumstances. At the Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, Carlsen finished in third position, and lost to Vincent Keymer in the semi-finals. Keymer eventually won the tournament, with India’s D Gukesh finishing in eighth spot. Meanwhile, Carlsen is also into the Grand Final of the 2025 Chessable Masters, after edging past India No. 2 Arjun Erigaisi in an armageddon tiebreaker.