Magnus Carlsen kicked out of World Rapid and Blitz Championship for wearing jeans; ‘Stupid principle,’ says champion

The Norwegian champion was first fined $200 and then asked to change to formals immediately, which Carlsen refused. He said he had agreed to follow the dress from the next day but was not ready to do it immediately. Carlsen was not paired for Round 9, and then FIDE Chief Arbiter Alex Holowzsak disqualified him, citing impartial rules that apply to all players, irrespective of their stature.

“FIDE regulations for the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, including the dress code, are designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.

“Today, Mr. Magnus Carlsen breached the dress code by wearing jeans, which are explicitly prohibited under long-standing regulations for this event. The Chief Arbiter informed Mr. Carlsen of the breach, issued a $200 fine, and requested that he change his attire. Unfortunately, Mr. Carlsen declined, and as a result, he was not paired for round nine. This decision was made impartially and applies equally to all players,” FIDE said in a statement.

The statement also gave the example of Ian Nepomniachtchi, who was fined for a breach of dress code for wearing sports shoes instead of the formal ones but was allowed to carry on after changing into the approved attire.

“Earlier in the day, another participant, Mr. Ian Nepomniachtchi, was also fined for breaching the dress code by wearing sports shoes. However, Mr. Nepomniachtchi complied, changed into approved attire, and continued to play in the tournament.

“The dress code regulations are drafted by members of the FIDE Athletes Commission, which is composed of professional players and experts. These rules have been in place for years and are well-known to all participants and are communicated to them ahead of each event. FIDE has also ensured that the players’ accommodation is within a short walking distance from the playing venue, making adherence to the rules more convenient.

“FIDE remains committed to promoting chess and its values, including respect for the rules that all participants agree to follow,” it further read.

No appeal, Carlsen calls FIDE stupid

Declaring an open war with FIDE, Carlsen called the regulations “stupid”.

“I am pretty tired of FIDE, so I want no more of this. I don’t want anything to do with them. I am sorry to everyone at home, maybe it’s a stupid principle, but I don’t think it’s any fun,” said Carlsen to the Norwegian broadcasting channel NRK.

Later, while talking to a YouTube channel called ‘Take Take Take’, Carlsen shed light on the turn of events.

“Yesterday was a difficult day. You know, I lost one game, could have lost a couple more. Generally, I was not playing well, a bit out of control,” he said.

“I had a really good sleep, and I had a nice lunch meeting before I came here. I just barely had time to go to the room, change, so I put on a shirt, a jacket. And honestly, I didn’t even think about the jeans.

“I even changed my shoes, but I didn’t even think about it. And so I got here, and I don’t know if it was after the first game or second game. I think it was after… Yeah, I don’t remember.

“But I got a warning that I needed to change my… Well, first of all, I got a fine. And then I got a warning that I would not be paired if I didn’t go change my jeans immediately. They said that I could do it after the third round today.

“I said, like, I’ll change tomorrow if that’s okay. I didn’t even realise it today. But they said, well, you have to change now.

“And well, at that point it became a bit of a matter of principle for me.”

When coaxed about whether he has appealed, the former world champion said: “No, I haven’t appealed. Honestly, I’m too old at this point to care too much.”

“If this is what they want to do, I guess it goes both ways, right? Nobody wants to back down and this is where we are. It’s fine by me. I’ll probably head off to somewhere where the weather is a bit nicer than here.”