World chess champion Magnus Carlsen stop the World Rapid Chess Championship on Friday after he refused to alter out of a pair of denims, a direct violation of the International Chess Federation’s guidelines.
FIDE stated Carlsen, a five-time world chess champion and seven-time world blitz chess champion, breached long-standing rules for the occasion. Carlsen, 34, was notified of the breach, issued a $200 high quality and requested to alter his garments.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Carlsen declined, and because of this, he was not paired for spherical 9,” the group stated in a post on X, including that the gown code is “designed to make sure professionalism and equity for all individuals.”
“These guidelines have been in place for years and are well-known to all individuals and are communicated to them forward of every occasion,” the group continued. “FIDE has additionally ensured that the gamers’ lodging is inside a brief strolling distance from the taking part in venue, making adherence to the foundations extra handy.”
Carlsen advised chess YouTube channel Take Take Take that earlier than the occasion, he had a lunch assembly and “barely had time to go to the room [to] change.”
“So, I placed on a shirt, jacket and truthfully I didn’t even take into consideration the denims. I even modified my footwear, however I didn’t even give it some thought,” he stated. “And so I acquired right here and I don’t know if it was after the primary recreation or second recreation … I acquired a high quality after which I acquired a warning that I might not be paired if I didn’t go change my garments.”
Carlsen stated he was advised he may change after the third spherical.
“I stated, like, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s OK. I didn’t even notice it right now.’ But they stated, ‘You have to alter now.’ At that time, it turned, you recognize, a little bit of a matter of precept for me. So right here we’re.”
Carlsen additionally withdrew from the World Blitz Championship.
He went on to accuse FIDE of “going after gamers … to get them to not signal with Freestyle,” a reference to the Freestyle Chess match.
“Basically threatening them that they wouldn’t have the ability to play the World Championship cycle in the event that they performed in Freestyle. So truthfully my endurance with them was not very huge to start with,” Carlsen stated.
FIDE’s CEO, Emil Sutovsky, responded to Carlsen’s claims, calling them a “lie.”
“The solely factor we insisted on — no Series or Tour may be referred to as World Championship until FIDE approves it. FIDE is the governing physique of chess, and any World Championship ought to both be performed or permitted by FIDE,” Sutovsky stated in a post on X, including: “No participant was threatened.”
