The Best Reactions to the “Jeans Gambit Declined”

In case you missed it: Magnus Carlsen abandoned the World Rapid Championship mid-event and will not be playing in the World Blitz Championship, after a feud with FIDE and their dress code during the second day of play. Magnus was fined $200 for wearing jeans and warned that he would not be paired in round 9 unless he changed before then. Magnus requested to change for day three instead, but the compromise was refused, he was not paired, and that led to his formal withdrawal.

Here are some of the best comments on the latest adventure in the world of chess.

Magnus Carlsen, later in the evening: “OOTD [Outfit of the Day]”

IM John Bartholomew: “Chess is going to go semi-viral again for 1-2 days for another non-chess incident, isn’t it?“

GM Garry Kasparov: “What are we doing?”

A number of people noticed a picture posted by FIDE earlier this month showing President Arkady Dvorkovich wearing jeans and sneakers at a professional meeting.

@Chessentials_:

Chess historian Emilia Castelao, in reference to the fine given to WIM/FM Anna-Maja Kazarian at last year’s World Rapid Championship over her footwear: “Anna-Maja walked (in her sneakers) so Magnus Carlsen could run (away from the WRB in jeans)”

GM Hikaru Nakamura was not the first to ‘jokingly’ suggest: “In light of today’s events, should every chess player at the World Rapid tournament in New York City wear jeans tomorrow??”

Magnus’s long-time coach and frequent FIDE critic GM Peter Heine Nielsen: “On a personal note, I feel almost relieved that after years of holding back, and softening my criticism of FIDE and its leadership, I can now finally speak my mind.”

And late in the evening, Derek Guy, known online as “the menswear guy”, took notice, first offering “magnus, let me help you find new jeans”, and then posting a thread titled “Here are some jeans that you can wear while playing chess.”

As humourous and absurd as many have found it, this may be a breaking point to where Magnus and FIDE engage in a long-lasting conflict, not least given Magnus’s efforts to popularize “Freestyle Chess”, or Chess960. Magnus’s comments in the hours afterwards included significant and sharp criticism of FIDE, and his non-interest in dealing with them. One gets the sense this story will continue into 2025.

Picture via Magnus Carlsen, @MagnusCarlsen