Magnus Carlsen Calls 'Jeansgate' Incident 'A Bit of a Farce' Ahead of Vegas Tournament

Magnus Carlsen has finally broken his silence over the infamous "Jeansgate" controversy that led to his disqualification from the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York.

The Norwegian grandmaster referred to the whole episode as "a bit of a farce" and disclosed it was caused by a very basic mistake: he had forgotten to change his trousers.

Disqualification Over Dress Code Sparks Debate

Magnus Carlsen Calls 'Jeansgate' Incident 'A Bit of a Farce'

The jeansgate incident is supposedly a simple controversy, but Carlsen made it more controversial when he did not comply with the policy.

"Honestly, I just forgot to change my jeans after a meeting before the game. I put on a nice shirt and jacket, and when they told me I shouldn't be wearing jeans, I thought, 'Well, yeah, sorry, I just forgot to change.'"

The controversy erupted during what was supposed to be one of the most competitive events of the year. Carlsen, despite showing up in a blazer and collared shirt, violated the event's strict dress code, which prohibited jeans, even under a smart-casual appearance.

For Carlsen, there's no need to change his attire between games. The chess prodigy thinks that the move to have him withdrawn from the event was excessive, given the nature and caliber of the competition.

'It Was a Bit of a Farce'

Carlsen made no bones about his criticism of how the tournament was conducted. He directly said that it was "a bit of a farce" given that they were literally checking the participant's trousers to see if it's jeans or chinos. He couldn't believe "how ridiculous the whole thing was."

He also highlighted the lack of practicality in enforcing such strict dress codes in a tournament involving 200 players with different levels of financial background.

Carlsen's Focus is On Vegas Freestyle Chess Now

As the jeans scandal filled the headlines, Carlsen had already left that behind. According to FirstPost, he's preparing now to compete in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas, where a $750,000 prize fund is waiting. He goes into the tournament on top of his game after recently winning the Norway Chess 2025 competition, and successive Freestyle Chess competitions in Paris and Grenke.

Carlsen concedes he wasn't aiming to make a fashion statement. He adds that he never wished to be a jeans campaigner, but it happened.

Aside from the jeansgate issue, Carlsen was also allegedly involved in selling out the game for profit. The claim came from Hans Niemann, who said that Hikaru Nakamura and Chess.com are also part of the "chess mafia" where Carlsen belongs.