World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen give up the World Rapid Chess Championship Friday after he refused to vary out of a pair of denims, a direct violation of the International Chess Federation’s guidelines.
FIDE mentioned Carlsen, a five-time World Chess Champion and seven-time World Blitz Chess Champion, breached long-standing laws for the occasion. Carlsen, 34, was notified of the breach, issued a $200 nice and requested to vary his garments.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Carlsen declined, and in consequence, he was not paired for spherical 9,” the group mentioned in a put up on X, including that the costume 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 instructed chess 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 did not even take into consideration the denims. I even modified my footwear, however I did not even give it some thought,” he mentioned. “And so I received right here and I do not know if it was after the primary sport or second sport … I received a nice after which I received a warning that I might not be paired if I did not go change my garments.”
Carlsen mentioned he was instructed he may change after the third spherical.
“I mentioned, like, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that is OK. I did not even understand it as we speak.’ But they mentioned, ‘it’s a must to change now.’ At that time, it turned, , 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 would not 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 mentioned.
FIDE’s CEO Emil Sutovsky responded to Carlsen’s claims, calling them a “lie.”
“The solely factor we insisted on — no Series or Tour could be referred to as World Championship except FIDE approves it. FIDE is the governing physique of chess, and any World Championship ought to both be carried out or accepted by FIDE,” Sutovsky mentioned in a put up on X, including: “No participant was threatened.”