Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion, has been disqualified from the ongoing World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2024 for violating FIDE’s strict dress code. The incident, which unfolded after Carlsen wore jeans to a match, has sparked significant controversy within the chess community.
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), the global governing body for chess, enforces a formal dress code for its tournaments. According to Hungarian-American Grandmaster Susan Polgar, Carlsen’s choice of attire contravened these rules, which had been clearly communicated prior to the event. Polgar elaborated on the situation in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
“This is what I got so far. He wore jeans (which is not allowed by FIDE according to tournament rules, which were published prior to the event). He was fined and agreed to change for tomorrow but refused to change for tonight. FIDE did not agree with his position. Therefore, Magnus is out of the World Rapid Championship and decided not play in the World Blitz Championship either.”
Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Carlsen expressed his frustration with FIDE and his decision to withdraw on principle.
“I am pretty tired of FIDE, so I want no more of this. I don’t want anything to do with them. I am sorry to everyone at home, maybe it’s a stupid principle, but I don’t think it’s any fun,” Carlsen stated.
Carlsen’s campaign at the championship had already been underwhelming, with draws against Awonder Liang, Gleb Dudin, and Aleksandr Shimanov, as well as a loss to Denis Lazavik. The dress code controversy further compounded his dissatisfaction.
In a detailed explanation on the YouTube channel Take Take Take, Carlsen revealed that the dress code violation was unintentional. He explained that he had hurried to the venue after a lunch meeting and changed his shirt, jacket, and shoes but overlooked his jeans.
“I just barely had time to go to the room, change, so I put on a shirt, a jacket. And honestly, I didn’t even think about the jeans. I even changed my shoes, but I didn’t even think about it,” Carlsen said.
After receiving a warning and a fine, FIDE officials demanded that he change his jeans immediately, threatening to disqualify him if he did not comply. Carlsen’s offer to change his attire the following day was rejected, leading to his decision to quit the tournament altogether.
Carlsen’s relationship with FIDE has been strained in recent years. During his remarks, he referenced previous incidents where FIDE allegedly pressured players not to participate in events organized by Freestyle Chess, a rival platform.
“FIDE actively wanted to, they were actually going after players as well to get them not to sign with Freestyle, basically threatening them that they wouldn’t be able to play the World Championship cycle if they played in Freestyle. So honestly, my patience with them was not very big to begin with. And it’s okay. They can enforce their rules. That’s fine by me. And my response is that fine, then I’m out. Like, f** you. I don’t think anything more has to be said,” Carlsen said.
The chess world remains divided over the incident, with some supporting FIDE’s adherence to rules and others criticizing the organization for what they perceive as rigid enforcement. Carlsen’s decision to withdraw from both the Rapid and Blitz Championships marks a significant moment in his career and raises questions about his future participation in FIDE-sanctioned events.
