Neither the speed of the games nor the brilliant strategies, simple jeans have become the center of controversy and the most talked about anecdote of the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in New York. Chess player Magnus Carlsen, the number 1 in the international ranking, left the championship on Friday after the International Chess Federation (FIDE) banned the Norwegian from participating in a round of the tournament because he was wearing jeans.
It happened on the second day of the World Cup, in the ninth round Magnus Carlsen, the favorite, showed up to play dressed in a jacket, shirt and jeans. The referees warned the chess player that his pants violated the dress code and urged him to change in order to continue, which Carlsen refused. The Norwegian left the competition, and also withdrew from the Blitz World Cup, which will begin this Sunday.
In a statement, FIDE said its dress code rules were designed to “ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.”
The body added that it had fined Carlsen $200 and given him the opportunity to put on the correct clothing, which the world number one refused.
Carlsen, world champion from 2013 to 2023, said he had a meal before the round and had to change quickly.
“I put on a shirt, a jacket and, honestly, I didn’t even think about jeans, I didn’t even change my shoes,” Carlsen said in an interview with Take Take Take.
“I didn’t even think about it… First of all, they gave me a fine, which is fine, and then they warned me that they wouldn’t match me if I didn’t change my clothes,” the chess player explained. “I told them that, if it was okay with them, I would change tomorrow, since it was a mistake,” Carlsen explained, “but they insisted that I had to change immediately or they would not allow me to play. At that moment it became 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 worry too much,” he declared. “If this is what they want to do… I guess it goes both ways, right? Nobody wants to turn back, and this is where we are. It’s fine with me. “I’ll probably head somewhere where the weather is a little better than here.”
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