You can own the “forbidden jeans” that top chess player Magnus Carlsen wore during the Jeansgate scandal

Norwegian chess legend Magnus Carlsen has put the jeans that got him disqualified from a chess championship in New York up for sale in an online auction, with the bidding reaching US$8,000 on Thursday.

The International Chess Federation (Fide) fined Carlsen US$200 and then banned him from taking part in a round nine at the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, deeming his attire inappropriate. A furious Carlsen left the rapid championship, but after a relaxation of the dress code he returned for the blitz championship and ended up sharing the gold with Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi following a tie in the final.

The 34-year-old Norwegian put the now infamous pair of jeans up for auction on Wednesday on Ebay. “The forbidden jeans can now be yours,” Carlsen wrote in a post to X, noting they were “game worn”. Responding to a comment, Carlsen confirmed the trousers had not been washed. Open until March 1, the auction had already received a bid of US$8,000 on Thursday.

The proceeds of the sale will be donated to the Big Brothers Big Sisters charity, according to Carlsen.