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The world’s No. 1 chess player Magnus Carlsen will return to the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York after initially withdrawing after refusing to take off a pair of jeans.
The 34-year-old withdrew from the World Rapid Championship on Friday after breaching the dress code and choosing not to change his attire.
However, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced on Sunday that Carlsen would return for the World Blitz Championship. The organisation’s chairman, Arkady Dvorkovich, confirmed that while the official dress code would remain in force, it would be relaxed to accommodate “elegant minor deviations”.
A message on Carlsen’s X account read: “Oh, I’m definitely playing in jeans tomorrow”.
“I will play at least one more day here in New York and, if all goes well, another day after that,” the Norwegian said in conversation with Take, Take, Take.
Why did Carlsen withdraw?
FIDE ruled that Carlsen had violated the dress code for the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships by wearing jeans on Friday.
He was initially fined $200 and asked to substitute, but he refused and was subsequently left out of Round 9 of the World Rapid Championships.
Carlsen claimed he had worn jeans to a meeting and “didn’t even think” about changing pants for the tournament. He said he offered to change for the next day but this was not accepted.
“I had a nice lunch date before I came here, I barely had time to go to the room and change, so I just put on a shirt and jacket, I didn’t even think about the jeans – I even took off my shoes switched,” he said Take, take, take.
“I received a warning that I would not be paired if I did not change my clothes. They said I could do it after the third round today. I said I will change tomorrow if that’s okay. They said you have to change now. At that point it became a bit of a matter of principle for me.”
Carlsen (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
He then said he had no plans to return to defend his title in the World Blitz Championship, which starts on Monday.
“I’ll probably go somewhere with nicer weather than here,” he added. “I don’t know what needs to change for that to happen, but no (I’m not going to play in the Blitz).”
Carlsen continued: “They can enforce their rules, that’s fine with me. My answer is: that’s fine, I’m out, f*** you.”
OOTD pic.twitter.com/9reOP6zuJv
— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) December 28, 2024
Carlson was the defending fast champion, but was behind the leaders at the time of his withdrawal.
Russian grandmaster Volodar Murzin, 18, ultimately won the tournament, becoming the second-youngest fast world champion in history.
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Why does chess have dress codes?
FIDE states that the rules for the tournament, including the dress code, are “designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.”
The FIDA regulations for the 2024 Rapid and Blitz Championships state: “Players wearing t-shirts, jeans, shorts, sneakers, baseball caps or inappropriate clothing are not allowed in the field of play. Any request to wear national or traditional clothing must be approved by the FIDE supervisor.”
Players are allowed to wear: “Dark pants, light-colored long sleeves (white, light blue, beige, brown etc.), blue or black shirt, in any case single-colored. Dark-colored jacket, waistcoat or cardigan with buttons: black, navy, gray, beige, brown, in any case single-colored. The jacket, vest or vest may be taken off while playing. Tie is not required.”
Participating players and FIDE staff, officials and representatives must all adhere to the dress code policy.
A first violation of the regulations results in a penalty, with the sanctioned player allowed to play the current round, before a second violation results in being excluded from a pairing for the next round.
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Did anyone else break the dress code rules?
Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi was also fined on Friday for violating the dress code after wearing sneakers. However, he donned ‘approved clothing’ and continued with the tournament.
How was the Carlsen situation resolved?
Carlsen said on Sunday that “fruitful discussions” had taken place with FIDE President Dvorkovich.
“I love playing blitz,” he told Take, Take, Take. “I want to give the fans a chance to see this… For now, I’m here and there have been, I think, some minor changes in the rules. On principle, I will definitely play in jeans tomorrow.”
A statement from Dvorkovich read: “I sincerely regret that this situation escalated without a solution being found in time by both sides to prevent Magnus’ withdrawal.”
He added that Carlsen’s concerns “highlight the need for further discussion on how we can modernize the current approach, to ensure that our rules and their application reflect the evolving nature of chess.”
Dvorkovich explained that a flexible approach to the dress code would be taken for the World Blitz Championships.
“I made the decision to trial an approach to provide FIDE officials with more flexibility in assessing the suitability of the clothing,” he continued. “Special assistants will be asked to assist in these judgments and to draw definitive conclusions should any doubts arise.
“The principle is simple: it is still mandatory to follow the official dress code, but elegant minor deviations (in particular, matching jeans to match the jacket) are allowed. Ultimately it is New Year’s Eve and I sincerely hope that no one will try to undermine the festive atmosphere, including by abusing this extra flexibility.”
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(Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP via Getty Images)