- The World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships take place in New York
- The current number one in chess in the world has decided to withdraw both tournaments
- A bizarre rule related to dress code prevented the player from continuing
A world chess champion has quit one of the sport’s premier competitions after failing to adhere to a bizarre rule.
World number one Magnus Carlsen was due to continue the defense of his FIDE Rapid and Blitz Chess World Championships on Friday.
The chess legend had reached the ninth round before a dress code violation earned him a fine.
Carlsen arrived at the New York location wearing jeans but was told to change clothes immediately, while being fined £159.
The five-time world champion claimed he was coming from lunch and offered to put on pants the next day.
However, after being told he would not be allowed to continue competing in the World Rapid Championships, he reportedly replied: “I’m out, f*** 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 replied ‘I’m out, fuck you’ when he was told he could not continue in his clothes
‘I said I will change tomorrow… but they said you have to change. Now it has become a matter of principle for me, so here we are,” Carlsen explained.
“Honestly, I’m too old to care too much at this point. If this is what they want to do, I’ll probably go somewhere with nicer weather.”
The Norwegian grandmaster is the most talked-about name in chess, with 64 major titles in chess.
The 34-year-old has won 12 blitz and rapid championship titles in the past, but his career has not been without controversy.
The grandmaster settled a long-running legal dispute in 2022, in which he accused rival Hans Niemann of cheating. The lawsuit was settled for $100 million in August last year.
And now Carlsen is back in the spotlight after arriving in New York in a shirt, blazer and dark jeans.
He had played a few rounds before officials noticed his attire, and that’s when the drama began to unfold.
FIDE chief executive Emil Sutovsky has since come out to confirm that Carlsen has not been banned from the tournaments.
Carlsen is highly regarded in the chess world due to his enormous success in the sport
Carlsen will now, on principle, not participate in the World Blitz Chess Championships
“FIDE has not excluded Magnus from the tournament,” Sutovsky wrote on X. “He was not paired in round 9. He can continue tomorrow.
‘We gave Magnus plenty of time to get changed. But as he himself had stated in his interview: it became a matter of principle for him.
‘Rules apply to all participants and it would be unfair to all players who respected the dress code, and those who had previously been fined.
‘The dress code had been known for a long time and was proposed by the Athletes Commission, consisting of grandmasters.
“That’s what I said: I’m sorry for the situation that occurred; FIDE was very welcoming to Magnus and his family, and we never wanted the organization to explode. However, I fully support the decision of chief arbitrator Alex Holowczak.”