World number one Magnus Carlsen was defending his titles at the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York when officials made the request. Over the past 10 years, the Norwegian grandmaster has won five rapid world titles and seven blitz world titles — Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK — Chess number one Magnus Carlsen has walked out of a world championship in New York after being fined and threatened with expulsion for violating the dress code by wearing jeans.
Carlsen was asked to change his clothes on Friday at the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships after breaching the governing body’s regulations.
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The chess federation (FIDE) said Carlsen rejected the opportunity to remove his jeans and was fined $200 (192 euros).
In a statement, FIDE said its rules “are designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.”
He cites the case of another competitor who was fined for wearing sports shoes but was allowed to continue after putting on appropriate footwear.
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Carlsen, 34, is a five-time world chess champion. The Norwegian is also the reigning champion of rapid and blitz chess competitions.
“I put on a shirt, a jacket and, honestly, I didn’t even think about jeans, I even changed my shoes,” Carlsen told chess channel Take Take Take.
“First I got a fine, which is good, then I got a warning that I wouldn’t be matched if I didn’t go change. They said I could do it after the third round today.
“I said, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s okay with you, I didn’t even realize it today,’ but they said, ‘Well, you need to change now.’ At that point, it became a matter of principle for me.
Carlsen said he would not appeal the decision.
“Honestly, I’m too old at this point to care too much,” he said.
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“No one wants to go back…I’ll probably go somewhere where it’s a little nicer than here.” —Agence France-Presse
