Magnus Carlsen has quit a tournament in New York after being told to change out of jeans.
The world No1 appeared at the event on Wall Street to defend his titles at the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships while wearing a shirt, blazer and dark jeans over smart black shoes.
He played three rounds before being told by the World Chess Federation (Fide) to change his trousers as they contravened the tournament’s dress code.
Carlsen, a legend of the game who was world champion between 2013 and 2023, explained that he had held a lunch meeting before playing and had rushed to get ready. He offered to wear smarter clothes the following day but was told he had to change immediately or would be disqualified.
“I put on a shirt, jacket and honestly like I didn’t even think about jeans, even changed my shoes,” Carlsen told Take Take Take. “I didn’t even think about it.
“First of all I got a fine, which is fine, and then I got a warning that I would not be paired if I didn’t go change my clothes. They said that I could do it after the third round today.
“I said ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s OK, I didn’t even realise it today’, but they said, ‘Well you have to change now’. At that point it became a bit of a matter of principle for me.”
In a statement, Fide said its dress code regulations were designed to “ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants”. It added that it had issued Carlsen a $200 (£159) fine and given him an opportunity to change into the correct attire, which he rejected.
The 34-year-old added that he would not appeal the decision, saying: “Honestly, I am too old at this point to care too much.
“If this is what they want to do… I guess it goes both ways, right – nobody wants to back down – and this is where we are. It’s fine by me. I’ll probably head off to somewhere where the weather is a bit nicer than here.”
