Magnus Carlsen quits chess championship over jeans dress code dispute

New York: Magnus Carlsen, the world’s top-ranked chess player, withdrew from the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York after a dispute over his attire. Carlsen, a 34-year-old Norwegian grandmaster, was fined $200 by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for violating the event’s dress code, which prohibits participants from wearing jeans.

The federation issued a statement on Friday, explaining that Carlsen was informed of the dress code violation by the Chief Arbiter. The arbiter asked him to change his pants and imposed a $200 fine, but Carlsen refused to comply. As a result, he was not paired for round nine of the competition.

Carlsen later addressed the incident in a video on his Take Take Take chess app, explaining his refusal to change his attire. He said he was willing to change his pants the following day, but the organizers insisted that he do so immediately. Carlsen noted that at that point, the issue became a matter of principle for him.

The federation defended the dress code, stating that it is in place to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants. It noted that the dress code was clearly communicated to players ahead of the event.

In a separate incident on the same day, fellow participant Ian Nepomniachtchi was also fined for breaching the dress code by wearing sports shoes. However, Nepomniachtchi complied with the request to change and continued playing in the tournament.

The International Chess Federation emphasized that the rules, which have been in place for years, apply equally to all players.

With PTI inputs