'I woke my poor wife and said...' Magnus Carlsen's trainer Peter Heine Nielsen recalls infamous 'jeansgate' scandal

Magnus Carlsen’s 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York was filled with controversy, with the most infamous moment being the so-called ‘jeansgate’ scandal. The Norwegian chess legend found himself at odds with FIDE over a dress code violation during the Rapid tournament, which led to him pulling out of the tournament and leaving everyone baffled.

Carlsen appeared for his rapid games wearing a pair of jeans, an attire not permitted under FIDE’s dress code regulations . He was fined and asked to change, but the five-time World Chess Champion refused, stating that he would comply the following day. Carlsen said that he put on his shirt and jacket and didn’t even notice that he was wearing jeans. He added that he told the organisers he would change the next day, as he hadn’t realised it before showing up at the venue. Officials then asked him to change his jeans immediately, prompting Carlsen to withdraw entirely.

Peter Heine Nielsen shares an interesting anecdote from jeansgate scandal

Carlsen’s long-time trainer, Peter Heine Nielsen, recently reflected on the chaotic moment in an interview with German news outlet Der Spiegel, revealing his reaction when he first saw the controversy unfold. The Danish grandmaster said that at the time of the incident, he was at his home for Christmas breaks and saw the controversy break out at three in the morning.

“The world championship always takes place around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so I worked from home in Lithuania. It was three in the morning when I saw that Magnus was not seeded for the next round. It was too funny. I woke my poor wife and said: Look, can you imagine that? She quickly went back to sleep,” Nielsen recalled.

Despite the jeansgate debacle, Carlsen returned for the Blitz Championship, where he once again found himself at the center of another controversy . The final against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi sparked match-fixing allegations after a video surfaced showing Carlsen urging Nepomniachtchi to agree to a series of draws if FIDE refused their request to share the title.

While Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi eventually did share the title, the incident divided the chess community, with some criticising their approach and others defending their practical decision.

Meanwhile, in the recently held Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025, Carlsen suffered a crushing defeat against local boy Vincent Keymer in the semi-finals. He then secured the third spot by beating Uzbek chess grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov. Keymar went on to win the title by defeating USA’s Fabiano Caruana in the final.