Magnus Carlsen’s refusal to abide by the dress code of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for the world rapid championship held in New York has led to one of the most surreal situations remembered in sports science. The current champion has been champion up to six times in this modality, and for many the best player of all time was disqualified for wearing jeans, something expressly prohibited by the tournament organization. The Norwegian first received a fine of $200, as had already happened the day before to the Russian Ian Nepomniatchi. But when he refused to return to the hotel and change, the tournament referee decided not to pair him in the next round.
Until that moment, Carlsen was not having the tournament of his life. Far from the first places, he was 41st out of 180 with 5 points out of a possible 8, a hopeful comeback had begun on the second day. Perhaps pressured by the unexpected results and also by the conflict he maintains with FIDE over the Freestyle Chess circuit he defends, Carlsen became upset when the organizers told him that if he did not change his clothing for a permitted one he would not be able to continue in the fight for the title. qualification.
“I put on a shirt, a jacket and, honestly, I didn’t even think about jeans, I even changed my shoes,” Carlsen told Take Take, a space with which he regularly collaborates. “First they gave me a fine, which is fine, and then they warned me that they wouldn’t match me if I wasn’t going to change my clothes,” he acknowledged. To which the Norwegian replied that he would change ‘tomorrow if that’s okay, I haven’t noticed today’. But they replied: ‘You have to change now.’ At that moment it became a matter of principle for me,” he said, annoyed. “Honestly, at this point I’m too old to care too much. I’ll probably go somewhere where the weather is a little nicer,” Carlsen explained sarcastically.
Next, the Norwegian staged a total break with FIDE on behalf of the Freestyle Chess circuit, a series of Chess tournaments in its 960 version (where the order of placement of the pieces is drawn before starting to play to avoid the theory of openings. ) and of which Carlsen is very adept. “FIDE has threatened players to prevent them from signing for the Chess Tour Freestyle, with the dissuasive measure of preventing their participation in the World Championships. I am very tired of them and I don’t want any more of this. I’m sad and sorry for the people at home. If this is what they want, great. I’m out. “Fuck you,” he said before leaving.
For its part, FIDE defended itself by arguing that its rules are impartial to all players. “Mr. Magnus Carlsen violated the code by wearing jeans, which is explicitly prohibited. The head referee informed him of the violation and asked him to change his outfit. Unfortunately, Carlsen refused and as a result was not paired for the ninth round. “This decision was made impartially and applies equally to all players,” the organization stated.
Emil Sutovsky, CEO of the International Federation, later clarified that Carlsen was not expelled, but rather that he was not paired in the ninth round and that he could have joined later, something that the Norwegian rejected. “We never wanted this to explode, but I fully support the decision of the main referee, Alex Holowczak,” he concluded.
Later, Carlsen made fun of what happened by uploading a photo to his social networks wearing shorts.
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