In a hilarious turn of events, Magnus Carlsen infamous jeans which courted controversy during the 2024 World Rapid Championship has been sold at an auction on Ebay for a massive amount of approximately ₹31,57,686. The Norwegian will be handing over the proceeds to a charity.
The identity of the bidder remains anonymous and it hasn’t been revealed. The person came up with the highest bid on Saturday, after a 10-day bidding war to purchase the pair of jeans. It is a size-32 pair, and belongs to the Italian company Corneliani.
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The auction drama
Since it went up for auction, the highest bid was ₹12,33,334, but then the final hour before the deadline saw an explosion of mega bids. Then in less than 30 minutes and over 30 massive bids, the top offer skyrocketed to the final amount of ₹31,57,686. The bidder will also have to cover ₹6,472 approximately for the delivery of the pair of jeans.
During the Rapid C’ship last year, Carlsen fell out with the FIDE organizers and arbiter after he turned up in a pair of jeans, which wasn’t in accordance with the rules and regulations. He was warned by the arbiter and fined. He was also asked to change his jeans, but he declined and stated that he would do it the next day. He was expelled from later pairing in the day, and was allowed to return the next day.
{{/usCountry}}During the Rapid C’ship last year, Carlsen fell out with the FIDE organizers and arbiter after he turned up in a pair of jeans, which wasn’t in accordance with the rules and regulations. He was warned by the arbiter and fined. He was also asked to change his jeans, but he declined and stated that he would do it the next day. He was expelled from later pairing in the day, and was allowed to return the next day.
{{/usCountry}}But in response, Carlsen pulled out of the tournament and lashed out at the FIDE, criticising their organising skills. Although, he did return for the Blitz Championship, but he once again courted controversy when he shared the title with Ian Nepomniachtchi.
During the Chessable Masters, Carlsen was asked about the auction, and he said, “It was my thought from very early on that this was a fun idea. It's all going to a nice charity. Hopefully it's something people are interested in. They're certainly up there with some of the more contemporary jeans. That's for sure.”