Champ’s blue jean blues latest move in the long clash between chess and fashion

​Modern chessplayers — to put it mildly — are not exactly known for their sartorial sophistication. T-shirts vastly outnumber neckties at your typical modern Swiss tournament, and even today’s grandmasters suffer badly in comparison to the formally dressed and conservatively coiffed stars of the modern game’s early days.

Now comes news that the most famous pair of blue jeans in chess history is up for sale — the pair worn by former world champion Magnus Carlsen that earned him a rebuke from organizers at the World Rapid Championships in New York late last year for violating the event’s dress code.

Carlsen was so piqued by the reprimand that he pulled out of the tournament altogether, and — in a nice counter-combination — has now put the notorious Corneliani dungarees (waist 32 inches, slightly used) up for auction on EBay, with the proceeds to go to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Better hurry if you’re interested — the bidding ends Saturday.

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There have been a few other cases of famous fashion items in chess, notably Pal Benko’s sunglasses and Dorsa Derakhshani’s veil.

At the famous 1959 Candidates Tournament in Yugoslavia (the first to feature a young American star named Bobby Fischer), the Hungarian-American GM Benko was so unnerved by the intense, withering stare of rising Soviet star GM Mikhail Tal that he donned a pair of sunglasses for their fourth and final game.

The mischievous Tal jokingly returned the favor, sporting a pair of dark glasses himself when he sat down to play. That game ended in a draw that clinched Tal’s tournament victory and set him up to win the world title the next year over Mikhail Botvinnik.

Ironically, the sunglasses game was the only one at the event Tal did not win against Benko.

The best of those victories, when Benko was still unshielded from the famous Tal glare, came in Round 14. Benko as Black gets a decent position as Black out of this Schmid Benoni after 12. Bf1 b5 13. Qd2 — his Benoni bishop on g7 controls a great diagonal and he’s ready to initiate a promising queenside pawn push.

Tal, characteristically, looks to upset the positional apple cart with a pawn sacrifice in pursuit of a kingside mating attack: 16. e5!? (the engines also like 16. axb5 axb5 17. b4!? cxb4 18. Na2, but that’s not Tal’s style) b4 17. Ne4 Nxe4 (playing for exchanges is dangerous as an open center only helps White; e.g. 17…dxe5?! 18. Nxe5 Nxe4 19. Rxe4 Bxe5 20. Bxe5 f6 21. d6!) 18. Rxe4 Bxa4 19. Bh6 Bh8 20. Rde1 — White has nothing concrete for the lost pawn, but Black is now under significant pressure to find the right move in every position.

Benko, like so many others, can’t meet the challenge the ultra-creative Tal poses: 20…f6?! (already, better was 20…Bb5 21. e6 fxe6 22. dxe6  Bxb2, holding off White’s attack after 23. Ng5 Bxf1 24. Kxf1 Bf6) 21. e6 f5? (with the White e-pawn cutting Black’s position in half, things are already dire, but 21…Bb5 22. Rh4 Bxf1 23. Kxf1 Rf8 24. c3 at least allows Benko to fight on) 22. Rh4 Bxb2 (see diagram).

White’s attack appears stalled and Black has a genuine threat of 23…Bc3, but Tal has seen farther. The bishop on h6, he realizes, may look well-placed but is actually getting in the way. White’s attack would roll forward if the bishop would just disappear.

And so: 23. Bf8!! (thoughtfully clearing the h6-square for the White queen, which can do so much more damage there) Rxf8 (one fun variation is 23…Bg7 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Qh6+ Kf6 26. Rf4! [threatening 27. Rxf5+! Kxf5 28. Qg5 mate] Bxc2 27. Qxh7 Rf8 28. g4!, with 29. g5 mate unstoppable) 24. Qh6 Rf7 25. exf7+ Kxf7 26. Qxh7+ Bg7 (Ke8 27. Qxg6+ Kd7 28. Qxf5+ e6 29. Rxe6! Nxe6 30. Rh7+ Kc8 31. Bxa6+ Rb7 32. dxe6 and wins) — material is still equal, but Tal’s attack is by no means spent.

White wraps things up with 27. Rh6! Qg8 28. Qxg6+ Kf8 29. Ng5 Qxd5 (both 29…Bxh6 and 29…Bxc2 allow 30. Nh7 mate) 30 Rh8+!, and Benko resigned, not needing to play out 30…Bxh8 (Qg8 31. Qf7 mate) 31. Nh7 mate.

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Derakhshani’s veil comes with a much more freighted backstory.

One of her native Iran’s most promising junior players, the young IM was abruptly banned from the national chess team and domestic tournaments after she competed in a tournament in Gibralter in 2017 without wearing the mandatory head scarf.

Iran’s loss was America’s gain: Derakhshani moved to the United States after the controversy, playing for the famed St. Louis University chess team while pursuing her medical studies.  

One of Derakhshani’s best results came in the COVID-shadowed 2020 U.S. Women’s Championship tournament, where she defeated several higher-ranked players and came in a surprise third, just a point behind winner and eight-time U.S. women’s titleholder GM Irina Krush. Sans veil, Derakhshani showed Tal-like form in defeating WGM Tatev Abrahamyan from the White side of a sharp Alekhine-Chatard Attack line in the French Defense.

The veteran Abrahamyan may have tried to confuse her young opponent with aggressive early play, but her 11. Nf3 b5?! 12. Ne4 b4 launches an all-out attack before Black has finished her development or found a secure niche for her king. Black’s queen ventures out to reinforce the attack, but it soon becomes apparent the queen has rushed forward without making sure she had a secure retreating path: 14. b3 Qe4 15. Qd2! (with her opponent overextended, White is in no rush to trade down and ease Black’s plight; 15. Qxe4?! Nxe4 16. Nxc6 Nf2) Nd5 16. Nxc6 Bd6? (Black still had a chance to hold with 16…Qxf4 17. Qxf4 Nxf4 18. Nc5 Nd5 19. Kb2, with perhaps a slight edge for White; Black is loading up the pressure on the f4-pawn, but White has an unexpected defense) 17. g3!.

White lets the rook go, but will get back plenty of material, and both her opponent’s king and queen find themselves in sticky situations: 17…Qxh1 (Nxf4 18. Ne5 0-0 19. gxf4 Qxh1 20. Bb5 Qb7 [Qe4 21. Bc6] 21. Rg1+ Kh8 22. Bc6 Qe7 23. Bxa8, winning a full piece) 18. Bb5 Qe4 19. Nxe5+ Ke7 20. Re1, and the Black queen is run to ground.

After 23. Nxc3 bxc3 24. Qxc3, Black has a respectable two rooks for the queen and two pawns, but she still hasn’t solved the riddle of how to protect her king. White’s queen and two minor pieces create all manner of threats, and when the center opens up, Derakhshani has enough firepower to finish the job.

Thus: 27. d5 Bd7 28. Bxd7 Rxd7 29. Qxe6+ Kd8 30. d6 Bxd6 (no better was 30…Rdb7 31. Qxf6+ Ke8 32. Qe6+ Kf8 33. d7 a5 [Be7 34. Ne5] 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35. d8=Q+ and wins) 31. Nxd6 Rb6 (the pin on the knight is easily broken) 32. Qxf6+ Kc7 33. Ne8+ Kb7 34. Qxf5 Re7 35. Qd5+ Kc8 36. Nd6+, and Black has seen enough and resigned. On lines like 36…Kb8 37. Qc5 Rc7 38. qe5 a6 39. Ne8, White’s decisive material edge will only grow.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Tal-Benko, FIDE Candidates Tournament, Bled, Yugoslavia, September 1959

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bb5+ Nbd7 7. a4 O-O 8. O-O a6 9. Be2 Rb8 10. Re1 Ne8 11. Bf4 Nc7 12. Bf1 b5 13. Qd2 Re8 14. h3 Nf6 15. Rad1 Bd7 16. e5 b4 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Rxe4 Bxa4 19. Bh6 Bh8 20. Rde1 f6 21. e6 f5 22. Rh4 Bxb2 23. Bf8 Rxf8 24. Qh6 Rf7 25. exf7 Kxf7 26. Qxh7+ Bg7 27. Rh6 Qg8 28. Qxg6+ Kf8 29. Ng5 Qxd5 30. Rh8+ Black resigns.

Derakhshani-Abrahamyan, U.S. Women’s Championship, October 2020

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 gxf6 7. Qd3 f5 8. Nc3 c6 9. O-O-O Nd7 10. f4 Nf6 11. Nf3 b5 12. Ne5 b4 13. Na4 Qd5 14. b3 Qe4 15. Qd2 Nd5 16. Nxc6 Bd6 17. g3 Qxh1 18. Bb5 Qe4 19. Ne5+ Ke7 20. Re1 Nc3 21. Bc6 Qxe1+ 22. Qxe1 Rb8 23. Nxc3 bxc3 24. Qxc3 f6 25. Nc4 Bb4 26. Qe3 Rd8 27. d5 Bd7 28. Bxd7 Rxd7 29. Qxe6+ Kd8 30. d6 Bxd6 31. Nxd6 Rb6 32. Qxf6+ Kc7 33. Ne8+ Kb7 34. Qxf5 Re7 35. Qd5+ Kc8 36. Nd6+ Black resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.