A world chess champion had some strong words for the International Chess Federation after he was forced to quit a competition over refusing to change out of jeans.
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While at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship on Friday, Dec. 27, in New York City, Norweigan chess grandmaster Mangus Carlsen quit the competition after he refused to change out of his jeans to comply with the event’s dress code.
He referred to his decision of not changing as a “matter of principle.”
Following his departure from the tournament, the chess champion told Take Take Take that he did not intentionally break the event’s dress code. He also “barely had time” to change.
Carlson did offer to ditch the denim look the next day.
“I said, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s OK, I just didn’t even realize it today,’” he pointed out. “But they said, ‘Well, you have to change now,’ and, well, at that point, it became, you know, a bit of a matter of principle for me. And yeah, so here we are.”
“Honestly, I’m too old at this point to care too much,” Carlson continued. “If this is what they [FIDE] 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.”
The chess champion also shared a photo of his tournament ensemble on X, formerly Twitter.
He then alleged that the International Chess Federation had previously gone after players “to get them not to sign with” his chess venture, Freestyle Chess.
“So honestly my patience with them was not very big to begin with, and it’s OK,” Carlson added. “They can enforce their rules, that’s fine by me, and my response is that fine, then I’m out, like, f**k you.”
The International Chess Federation Fines Champion For Dress Code Violation
Meanwhile, the International Chess Federation announced they were fining the chess champion.
While sharing a photo of Carlson’s ensemble, the organization shared its side of the situation.
“Mr. Magnus Carlsen breached the dress code by wearing jeans,” the organization stated. “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.”
The organization then noted another tournament participant, Ian Nepomniachtchi, was also fined for breaching the dress code by wearing sports shoes. However, Nepomniachtchi quickly changed his shoes and was able to participate.
“The dress code regulations are drafted by members of the FIDE Athletes Commission,” the organization continued. “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.”
The organization will ensure that the players’ accommodation is within a short walking distance from the playing venue. That way, players can change their clothes if they are not complying with the dress code.