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Magnus Carlsen has been disqualified from the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Championships for violating the FIDE dress code. The Norwegian chess grandmaster was fined $200 for wearing jeans, which, according to the tournament rules, were not allowed. Carlsen's failure to comply with the dress code led to his disqualification after repeated violations.
FIDE's Dress Code Enforcement
The disqualification followed a sequence of events where Carlsen was fined and warned for not adhering to the prescribed attire. The Chief Arbiter, Alex Holowzsak, initially fined Carlsen for wearing jeans, a breach of FIDE’s rules that were made clear before the event. While Carlsen agreed to change his attire for the following day, he refused to comply immediately, prompting his removal from the competition.
Susan Polgar Explains the Situation
Chess player and commentator Susan Polgar offered insights into the incident. She detailed the events leading to Carlsen’s disqualification:
“Magnus Carlsen is OUT of the World Rapid Championship, and will NOT play in the World Blitz Championship,” Polgar wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “This is what I got so far. He wore jeans (which is not allowed by FIDE according to tournament rules, which were published prior to the event). He was fined and agreed to change for tomorrow but refused to change for tonight.”
Polgar further explained that Carlsen's refusal to change his jeans led to his exit from the World Rapid Championship and his subsequent decision to withdraw from the World Blitz Championship. The situation marked the escalation of a long-standing tension between Carlsen and FIDE.
Carlsen’s Perspective on the Disqualification
Carlsen, who had a rough start at the tournament, openly expressed his frustration with the situation. After suffering a loss to Denis Lazavik and drawing with Awonder Liang, Gleb Dudin, and Aleksandr Shimanov, he admitted that his performance wasn’t up to par. However, he remained adamant about his stance on the dress code issue.
“Yesterday was a difficult day. You know, I lost one game, could have lost a couple more. Generally, I was not playing well, a bit out of control,” Carlsen said during a discussion on the "Take Take Take" YouTube channel. “I had a really good sleep, and I had a nice lunch meeting before I came here. I just barely had time to go to the room, change, so I put on a shirt, a jacket. And honestly, I didn’t even think about the jeans.”
Carlsen explained that he was fined and warned that he would not be paired for the next rounds unless he changed his jeans. While the organizers gave him the option to change after the third round, Carlsen chose to stick to his principles and refused.
“At that point it became a bit of a matter of principle for me,” he stated.
Magnus Carlsen’s Final Decision
Carlsen made it clear that he would not appeal the decision. “No, I haven’t appealed,” he said. “Honestly, I’m 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.”
The chess grandmaster also confirmed that he would not be participating in the World Blitz Championship. “I mean, No,” Carlsen replied when asked if he would play in the event.
A Longstanding Discontent with FIDE
Carlsen’s disqualification and withdrawal were not just about the dress code violation. The world champion also expressed deep dissatisfaction with FIDE's practices and enforcement of rules.
“I don’t know whether it has happened in the past or not,” Carlsen said about previous incidents. “But you know, there was this whole thing where FIDE actively wanted to… they were actually going after players as well to get them not to sign with Freestyle, basically threatening them that they wouldn’t be able to play the World Championship cycle if they played in Freestyle."
Carlsen’s frustration with FIDE has been building for some time, and he did not hold back. “Honestly, my patience with them was not very big to begin with. And it’s okay. They can enforce their rules. That’s fine by me. And my response is that fine, then I’m out. Like, f** you. I don’t think anything more has to be said. Okay.”
With this statement, Carlsen’s feud with FIDE appears to have reached its official breaking point, marking a significant moment in the world of competitive chess.
