A lighthearted clip, posted by FIDE (the governing physique for chess) throughout their social media platforms, has gone viral after India’s Divya Deshmukh, the 2025 Girls’s World Cup champion, was requested which chess rule she wish to change. With a cheeky smile, she replied: “No denims!” earlier than bursting into laughter, a playful nod to some of the memorable controversies in latest chess historical past.Watch:Her reply instantly evoked reminiscences of world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen’s notorious denims incident on the 2024 World Speedy Championship in New York. Go Past The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Carlsen had been informed by arbiters to swap his size-32 Corneliani denims for extra formal apparel in keeping with the match’s costume code. As a substitute, he refused, accepted a $200 high-quality, and finally forfeited his ultimate spherical of the day. The daring stance sparked a storm of debate over how a lot freedom gamers ought to have in expressing themselves throughout competitors.Removed from fading, the denims episode has solely grown in legend. Earlier this 12 months, the exact same pair was auctioned in collaboration with Chess.com, drawing monumental international consideration. Initially caught at $14,100, the bidding exploded within the ultimate half-hour, with 29 rapid-fire bids pushing the worth as much as an astonishing $36,100, all of which Carlsen pledged to donate to charity. The profitable bidder, who stays nameless, additionally paid $74 in transport for what’s now some of the well-known clothes within the chess world.From a rule dispute to a charitable milestone, Carlsen’s denims have turn into a unusual but highly effective image in chess, and Divya Deshmukh’s playful “no denims” reply reveals the story nonetheless resonates within the sport’s tradition.