Magnus Carlsen puts 'forbidden jeans' from Jeansgate scandal up for auction; price reaches $8,000

Magnus Carlsen, the World No. 1 chess grandmaster, has decided to auction off the jeans that became infamous during the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York. The ‘Jeansgate’ scandal, which saw Carlsen temporarily withdraw from the tournament over a dress code dispute with FIDE, has now taken an unexpected turn as he puts his “forbidden jeans” up for sale.

Carlsen made the announcement on his social media platforms, stating:

“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.”

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“Game worn.”

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🙏

*Game wornhttps://t.co/qgMlBdIkQq

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) February 19, 2025

How much will Carlsen’s “game worn” jeans cost?

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Magnus Carlsen has listed his jeans on eBay for auction and it’s currently going for $8,000 (Rs. 6.93 lakh). Given his status in the game and the significance of the item, fans and collectors may drive the price even higher. So far, the item has received 35 bids with over 40,000 views in the last 24 hours. If you are interested in buying the jeans, go to the platform right now and place your bid because it will end in 9 days on 2 March 2025.

Why is this pair of jeans so significant?

The Norwegian chess legend’s decision to auction the jeans adds yet another chapter to a saga that stunned the chess world in December last year. During the Rapid rounds of the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Championships, Carlsen showed up wearing jeans, a violation of FIDE’s dress code policy. He was fined and asked to change by the organisers at the venue. Carlsen insisted he hadn’t realised the violation and assured officials he would comply the next day.

However, when he was pressured to change immediately, the five-time World Champion chose to withdraw from the tournament altogether as a sign of dissent against FIDE as he felt that the dress code policy was too harsh for players and wanted greater flexibility. After quitting the Rapid event, Carlsen returned to compete in the Blitz rounds when FIDE agreed to relax the dress code rules and allowed him to play wearing jeans.