Chess legend Magnus Carlsen withdrew from the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York on Friday, after the game’s global governing body, Fide, banned the Norwegian from participating in a round of the tournament wearing jeans. .
In a statement, Fide stated that the “dress code” was created to “guarantee professionalism and justice for all participants”.
The body added that it charged Carlsen a $200 fine and offered him the opportunity to wear the correct attire, which he — the world number one — rejected.
Carlsen, world champion between 2013 and 2023, said he had lunch before the round and would have to change quickly.
“I wore a shirt, a jacket and honestly didn’t even think about the jeans. I even changed my shoes,” Carlsen told Take Take Take.
“I didn’t even think about it. First I got a fine, which is ok, then I got a warning that I wouldn’t be matched if I didn’t change my clothes. They said I could do it after the third round today.”
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“I said, ‘I’ll change my clothes tomorrow if that’s okay, because I didn’t even realize it today,’ but they said, ‘Well, you have to change now.’ At that point, it became a bit of a matter of principle for me.”
The 34-year-old added that he would not appeal the decision, saying: “Honestly, I’m too old at this point to care too much.
“If that’s what they want to do… I think it’s a two-way issue, right, nobody wants to back down, and that’s where we are. Fine by me. I’ll probably go somewhere where the weather is a little nicer than here.”
