Chess kings go casual: GMs swap blazers for blue jeans at Goa World Cup

Panaji: The world's best chess players can range from eccentric to equable when it comes to temperament, but they usually stick to formal wear at major events like the World Cup. Not at this year's edition in Goa, though, with many grandmasters making their move — to humble denim.It all started in Dec last year when five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen turned up at the World Rapid Chess Championships in jeans, only to get slapped with a fine. Instead of backing down, Carlsen resigned — not from the game, but from the tournament — calling it a “matter of principle.”The furore triggerred by Carlsen’s ‘JeansGate’ resulted in the offending jeans later being auctioned for Rs 31 lakh — and FIDE having a change of heart in Sep.

The chess world’s governing body adjusted its century-old dress code, officially allowing players to don jeans.Several GMs were qick to play the Comfort Gambit — French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, better known as MVL, among them. “I think it’s better that jeans are allowed, not all jeans of course, but normal jeans,” MVL told TOI on Saturday, his jeans paired with a casual shirt. “It’s more comfortable. I think FIDE understood players' complaints that they needed to be comfortable (while playing) but at the same time make sure that we are still wearing proper clothing, neat, clean, which is most important.”

MVL isn’t the only one at the tournament slipping into comfortable jeans. Two Armenian players — Shant Sargsyan and Gabriel Sargissian — chose jeans. Joining them for the first game of round three were the likes of 24-year-old Greek grandmaster Nikolas Theodorou, Daniel Dardha (Belgium), Robert Hovhannisyan (Armenia) and Ukrainian veteran Vasyl Ivanchuk.Of course, not everyone’s castling toward casualwear. Almost all Indian players still prefer the classic opening — blazers and trousers.

Many wear full-sleeved, crisply ironed shirts. But one can spot a few GMs in T-shirts and sweatshirts. And UAE’s Salem Saleh remains loyal to tradition, competing in his national attire.Then there’s Levon Aronian, the Armenian-American GM counted among the world’s best players, who always stands out because of his colorful shirts. “I just love dressing up colourfully, love celebrating life,” he said.The only player to win the World Cup twice isn’t wearing these shirts as a fashion statement.

In his own words, it all started when he moved to Germany at the age of 19.“I didn’t have much money and wanted a new wardrobe. Everything normal was very expensive, while all the colourful things were always on sale, because nobody would buy them,” explained Aronian, a big hit in Goa, with fans waiting patiently for autographs and pictures with him at the end of the day’s play.FIDE's dress code still stipulates that attire worn during championships and events should be in good taste. As the organisation puts it, “It’s important to promote a good and positive image of chess.”Now, with jeans on the board, it seems the game is ready for a new era — one where comfort and class can coexist. Because even in chess, sometimes the winning move is a wardrobe change.