- World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship takes place in New York
- The current number one in world chess has decided to withdraw from both tournaments
- A strange rule related to the dress code made the player not want to continue
A world chess champion abandoned one of the sport’s most important competitions for failing to comply with a strange rule.
World chess number one Magnus Carlsen was set to continue the defense of his FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships on Friday.
The chess legend had reached the ninth round when a dress code violation earned him a fine.
Carlsen arrived at the scene in New York wearing jeans but was told he must change immediately and was fined £159.
The five-time world champion claimed he had returned from lunch and offered to change into some pants the next day.
However, after being told he would not be allowed to continue in the World Rapid Championship, he allegedly responded: “I’m out, screw you.”
Chess icon Magnus Carlsen quit a major championship after being told to take off his jeans.
Carlsen told officials he would wear pants the next day, but was told to change immediately.
The multiple world champion responded ‘I’m out, fuck you’ when told he couldn’t continue with his outfit.
“I said I would change tomorrow… but they said you have to change now, that became a matter of principle for me, so here we are,” Carlsen explained.
‘Honestly, I’m too old to worry too much now. If this is what they want to do, I’ll probably go somewhere where the weather is a little better.
The Norwegian grandmaster is the biggest name in chess, having won 64 major titles in the sport.
The 34-year-old has already won 12 blitz and rapid championship titles combined in the past, however, his career has not been without controversy.
The grandmaster settled a long-running legal dispute, in which he accused his rival Hans Niemann of cheating, back in 2022. The lawsuit was settled for $100 million (£79 million) in August last year.
And now Carlsen is back in the spotlight after arriving in New York in a shirt, jacket and dark jeans.
He had played a few rounds before the officials noticed his attire, and then the drama began to unfold.
FIDE Executive Director Emil Sutovsky has since confirmed that Carlsen was not excluded from the tournaments.
Carlsen is a highly respected person in the chess world due to his magnitude of success in the sport.
Carlsen will now not compete in the World Blitz Chess Championship for “a matter of principle”
“FIDE did not expel Magnus from the tournament,” Sutovsky wrote in X. “He was not paired in round 9. He can continue tomorrow.
‘We gave Magnus more than enough time to change. But as he himself stated in the interview, for him it became a matter of principle.
‘The rules apply to all participants, and it would be unfair to all players who respected the dress code and to those who were previously fined.
“The dress code was known long before and was proposed by the Athletes Commission, made up of grandmasters.
‘That said, I am sorry for the situation that occurred: FIDE was very welcoming to Magnus and his family, and we never wanted this to explode. However, I fully support the decision of head referee Alex Holowczak.’