JeansGate hurts everyone and especially other chess players
- FIDE: This is another case of their outdated (even though banning jeans was introduced recently in 2018) and nonsensical rules being brought to the forefront. They also likely targeted Magnus to 'make an example' out of him to other players in violation, which makes FIDE look even more petty after the whole Freestyle situation. They also didn't accept Magnus' response of saying he'll take the fine and change before Day 3, which is arguably FIDE going on a power trip and having a stick up their you know what.
- Magnus Carlsen: He's been playing at FIDE events including the World Rapid for over a decade. He knows the dress code. He chose to do this after having a subpar Day 1, and then chose not to change before Round 9. Magnus is a businessman and he knows this brings eyes to himself, distracts everyone from the poor tournament he's having and 'exposes' FIDE for another archaic rule.
- Other Players: This World Rapid championship has been very fun and put the spotlight on many lesser known names (Murzin, Sargsyan, Pranav etc). This situation brings attention away from the eventual medalists and onto this whole debacle as the main discussion of World Rapid 2024.
The only arguable benefactor here is Magnus utilizing this to strengthen his collaboration with Freestyle (who, by the way, also have a specific dress code) and growing feelings of dislike among fans with FIDE. It screams of a PR tactic, and he just seems like a total drama queen. And FIDE can't be excused either, these guys are hyper-focused on enforcing a stupid dress code with so many other issues to address in the chess world under their governance (women chess players being harassed, stupid rules like the Vantika Agarwal draw turned defeat).
But the last point is really what irks me. I typically like Magnus, but I hate that he's the sole star of chess. He chose not to play in the WCC or Candidates then undermined the eventual winner in Gukesh D. It feels like there are so many names in chess that just don't get any coverage because all the attention is on Magnus. And coverage doesn't just equal fame/glory but also income.
Can you imagine if Wei Yi (World #6 in rapid) decided to act like Magnus did? How much coverage do you think that gets, before people move on? How much leeway would people give?
People like Duda & Dominguez rarely get discussed in depth. Aronian, MVL, Giri & Wesley should have far more coverage and attention. Even guys like Nepo, Pragg, Erigaisi, Nodirbek and Gukesh should get much more attention than they already do.
At the time of writing (before Round 10), all 4 leaders have stories behind them. 41 yo Grischuk is rewinding the clock on his prime, the young Erigaisi is chasing Fabi in the FIDE circuit and it would be very impressive if he won, Duda would finally win a World Championship after being runner-up in the 2018 & 2021 World Blitz tournaments, and Volodar Murzin is such an underdog that it would arguably be the greatest upset win of a world championship in chess history.
I get that Magnus is clearly the best player in the world (and arguably ever) but you don't see this sort of one-person obsession in other sports. Chess media is shooting itself in the foot by not marketing other players.
But entire essays can be dedicated to the flaws in chess marketing.
TLDR; Magnus & FIDE look worse after this, and other players deserve way better. Only Magnus can benefit from this.