NEW DELHI: World No.1 and five-time world chess champion, Magnus Carlsen on Friday faced an unexpected exit from the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, igniting debate across the chess community.
The controversy arose after the Norwegian Grandmaster was not paired for his Round 9 match after his refusal to comply with FIDE’s strict dress code during the event held in New York.
Carlsen, the defending champion at the tournament, was penalised USD 200 for wearing jeans, a garment explicitly forbidden under the tournament’s attire rules.
Carlsen’s unwillingness to change his outfit as instructed by Chief Arbiter Alex Holowczak resulted in his exit from Round 9 of the championship.
In a statement, FIDE clarified its stance: “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.”
FIDE CEO Grandmaster Emil Sutovsky weighed in on the incident, offering clarity amid rising brouhaha around the incident.
In a post on X, Sutovsky wrote, “FIDE did not ban Magnus from the tournament. He was not paired in round 9. He can continue tomorrow.”
However, Sutovsky also pointed out that Carlsen’s non-compliance stemmed from what the player himself called a matter of “principle”. “We gave Magnus more than enough time to change. But as he had stated himself in his interview – it became a matter of principle for him,” Sutovsky added.
Sutovsky further defended the Chief Arbiter’s actions, stating, “Rules are applicable to all participants and it would be unfair to those who adhered to them or were penalised earlier. The dress-code was known way before, and it was suggested by Athletes Commission, consisting of grandmasters. Said that, I am sorry for the situation that occurred – FIDE was very welcoming to Magnus and his family, and we never wanted it to explode. However I fully back the decision of the Chief Arbiter Alex Holowczak.”
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Despite being still eligible to play in the tournament, Carlsen, on his part, announced that he would skip the Blitz section of the event, expressing frustration with FIDE.
“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 the Norwegian broadcasting channel NRK.
