The latest controversy reveals deeper tensions about who will shape the sport’s future: its greatest players or the governing authorities

A persuasive case can be made that Magnus Carlsen is the greatest chess player of all time. The 34-year‑old Norwegian is no longer world champion – bored with classic (long-form) chess, he chose not to defend his title in 2023 – but his name resonates with the public more than ever. This is not due to his expertise in the Sicilian Defence but because chess’s world governing body, Fide, recently barred him from playing in a tournament for wearing jeans. “Jeansgate” illustrates that while the public may care little for the niceties of chess openings, they are captivated by the eccentricities of the chess world.

The fabulous (often chess-inspired) costumes in Netflix’s drama hit The Queen’s Gambit made style magazines swoon. But in real life, chess and fashion rarely intersect, though the great Cuban world champion of the 1920s, José Raúl Capablanca, was a splendidly natty dresser who would never have been seen dead in a pair of jeans, and American world champion, Bobby Fischer, in his 1960s and early 70s pomp, sported bespoke suits, shirts and shoes. Fischer’s later decline – wandering Budapest in a dishevelled state – unfortunately mirrors the stereotype of chess players as a marginalised, shabbily attired community.