India, Feb. 20 -- Magnus Carlsen, the World's No. 1 chess player, has found himself at the centre of controversy in recent months. In addition to the ongoing disputes between FIDE and the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, which he co-owns, Carlsen's behaviour during the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York at the end of 2024 has also drawn attention.

During the Rapid Tournament, Carlsen clashed with FIDE when he appeared in jeans, which violated the established dress code. The arbiter issued a warning, and Carlsen was fined $200 and instructed to change his attire before the next round. He refused to comply immediately, stating he would change for the following day, which led to his expulsion. Although he was permitted to return the next day under the condition of adhering to the dress code, Carlsen chose to withdraw and criticized the organization led by Arkady Dvorkovich.

In an unexpected twist, Carlsen has decided to auction the jeans in question for a charitable cause. He announced on social media, "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."

The jeans are listed as "Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen's #JeansGate Jeans," and after receiving 35 bids, the auction has reached approximately Rs. 6.93 lakhs. The listing has garnered over 36,000 views and will remain open for an additional 10 days.

Although Carlsen returned for the Blitz Tournament, he once again found himself in a contentious situation, as he and the finalist shared the title under disputed circumstances. At the Weissenhaus Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, Carlsen secured third place after losing to Vincent Keymer in the semi-finals. Keymer ultimately won the tournament, while India's D Gukesh finished in eighth place. Additionally, Carlsen has advanced to the Grand Final of the 2025 Chessable Masters, having narrowly defeated India's No. 2 player, Arjun Erigaisi, in an armageddon tiebreaker.

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