Former world champion Magnus Carlsen made a controversial exit from the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship after refusing to change his attire following violation of FIDE's dress code by wearing jeans at the venue in New York on Friday.
The five-time world champion initially received a fine beore being disqualified
Carlsen, who was the defending champion at the tournament, was penalised USD 200 for wearing jeans, which are strictly forbidden under tournament rules. When chief arbiter Alex Holowczak instructed him to change his attire immediately, Carlsen's refusal led to his disqualification and exclusion from Round 9 of the tournament at theWall Street.
"Today, Mr. Magnus Carlsen breached the dress code by wearing jeans, which are explicitly prohibited under long-standing regulations for this event. The Chief Arbiter informed Mr. Carlsen of the breach, issued a USD 200 fine, and requested that he change his attire," FIDE said in the statement which was posted on 'X'.
"The dress code regulations are drafted by members of the FIDE Athletes Commission, which is composed of professional players and experts. These rules have been in place for years and are well-known to all participants and are communicated to them ahead of each event," it added.
"FIDE has also ensured that the players' accommodation is within a short walking distance from the playing venue, making adherence to the rules more convenient."
The Norwegian grandmaster, widely regarded as one of chess's finest players, had expressed willingness to comply with the dress code from the following day but refused immediate compliance, which resulted in his removal from the tournament.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Carlsen declined, and as a result, he was not paired for round nine. This decision was made impartially and applies equally to all players," FIDE said.
Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi was also penalised for dress-code breach earlier, but he changed accordingly to comply with the rules.
An irate Carlsen said he won't participate in the Blitz section of the championship.
"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 told Norwegian broadcasting channel NRK.
"I said I don't want to bother changing now, but I can change until tomorrow, that's fine. But they didn't want to compromise. I've reached a point where I am pretty upset with FIDE, so I didn't want to either. Then that's how it goes," he added.
