GothamChess defends Magnus Carlsen as “Jeansgate” ravages FIDE
Take Take TakeSeveral top Chess players including GothamChess have stepped in to defend Magnus Carlsen after wearing jeans at a tournament led to him getting suspended from the FIDE-sanctioned competition.
Magnus was warned about FIDE regulation when it came to dress code, with the Chess federation refusing to budge on their ruling. This escalated to Carlsen getting suspended from the tournament for that day of competition and led to him dropping out entirely.
Seeing as Carlsen is one of the most decorated chess Grandmasters and has a long history of excellence, the fact that this regulation drove him out of the tournament has caused quite the stir in the Chess community.
GothamChess, along with several other high-profile Chess players, have opted to side with Carlsen in believing that the FIDE is in the wrong.
Chess superstars rebel against FIDE during “Jeansgate”
In an interview with Gotham on Take Take Take, Carlsen told his side of how things went down.
“They said that I could [change] after the third round today, I said, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s ok?’ But I didn’t even realize it today. They said, ‘Well, you haven’t changed now.’ At that point, it became a bit of a matter of principle for me.”
On one hand, he was warned by the International Chess Federation the day prior and still violated their rules on the next day. On the other, the reason why he’s been fined and subsequently booted from the tournament is because he’s wearing a pair of jeans that, as it turns out, may have been fine for regulation after all.
Carlsen didn’t even appeal the decision. Rather, he took the suspension as a reason to leave, saying, “Fine them, I’m out. F***k you.”
While GothamChess did see the argument for Carlsen getting barred from the tournament due to the dress code, he also argued that the dress code shouldn’t be the focus of the competition and that the FIDE’s action against the competitor were “unwarranted”.
“I really do think that if it came down to removal for a round, as symbolic as it is, versus allowing him to simply change his trousers and maybe suffer a bigger fine? We didn’t have to reach this point. Athletes in the past have been fined for attire, they haven’t been thrown out of a match. That’s crazy,” Gotham explained.
Fellow Chess Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik stepped in to defend Carlsen, positing that the FIDE’s actions were disrespectful toward the player.
“The principle is simple here: RESPECT FOR A CHESS PLAYER IN ACTION. It is tough, nerves, etc. And here an arbiter comes and insists you spend your precious break changing your trousers instead of resting. Trousers 99,999% of people wouldn’t care and wouldn’t notice even,” the Grandmaster explained.
Additionally, FIDE code actually permits jeans, the only thing banned is ripped jeans as ThePawnFather pointed out.
GMHikaru has also spoken out, trying to spark the Jeansgate movement even further and urging other competitors to wear jeans to the competition.
It’s also worth mentioning that Carlsen accepted a lifetime achievement award from the FIDE in 2024. While wearing jeans.
Carlsen has gone on record with Norway broadcast network NRK to say that he’s done with the FIDE, explaining that he doesn’t want “anything to do with them.”
“I am pretty tired of FIDE, so I want no more of this. I don’t want anything to do with them. I am sorry to everyone at home, maybe it’s a stupid principle, but I don’t think it’s any fun,” Carlsen lamented.
It remains to be seen if Carlsen will return to future International Chess Federation events, or even if he’ll be allowed at them following the drama that has erupted from a simple pair of jeans.
This isn’t the first time the FIDE has been in hot water over strict dress code enforcement, with Anna-Maja Kazarian being fined for wearing the wrong shoes.