Kicker: Making a move—in denim

NICK EICHER, HOST: Magnus Carlsen may be a chess grandmaster, but just like you and me, he puts his pants on one leg at a time—even when the pants violate the dress code.

At the World Rapid Chess Championship last week, Carlsen was fined for wearing denim.

A reporter confronted chess officials afterward:

REPORTER: But it’s only a pair of jeans.

OFFICIAL: It may be. I don’t write the rules, I just apply them.

Carlsen refused to change, took a $200 fine, and stood his ground.

CARLSEN: I think the situation was badly mishandled. I didn’t agree with it. I didn’t want to comply. And I stand by that.

The gambit paid off … Carlsen’s move pinned the chess federation—which ended up rewriting the rules to allow for what’s now called “elegant deviance.” Checkmate.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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