World Chess Champion Quits Competition After Refusing to Change Out of Jeans, Tells International Chess Federation 'F--- You'

Mar. 15, 2025

Magnus Carlsen at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships on Dec. 27, 2024.Photo:Misha Friedman/Getty

Misha Friedman/Getty

World chess champion Magnus Carlsen dropped out of the World Rapid and Blitz Championships after refusing to ditch his jeans in compliance with the event dress code in what he called “a matter of principle.”

After the 34-year-old Norwegian chess grandmaster — who is both a five-time World Rapid Chess Champion and the reigning seven-time World Blitz Chess Champion — arrived at the second day of the New York chess tournament on Friday, Dec. 27 in denim, he was fined and asked to change into attire that complies with the dress code, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) said in astatement.

The reigning Blitz champion was not technically banned from the tournament and could have continued the following day, Emil Sutovsky, the CEO of FIDE, clarified in astatementon X (formerly known as Twitter) following the incident.

Sutovsky also said that he is “sorry for the situation that [occurred] — FIDE was very welcoming to Magnus and his family, and we never wanted it to explode,” but added that he fully supports the decision of the Chief Arbiter.

FIDE also assured that the decision to remove Carlsen from the event “was made impartially and applies equally to all players,” stating that another player, Ian Nepomniachtchi, was fined for a dress code violation earlier the same day but “complied, changed into approved attire and continued to play in the tournament."

The organization also said that the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships dress code is “designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants” and has “been in place for years.”

Magnus Carlsen in the jeans that got him kicked out of a chess tournament in a photo he posted on X.Magnus Carlsen/X.com

Magnus Carlsen/X.com

The rules “are well-known to all participants and are communicated to them ahead of each event,” FIDE said, adding that the players’ accommodations are located a “short walking distance” from the tournament, so they can change easily if situations like Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi’s arise.

Carlson reacted cheekily to Friday’s events on X, sharing aphotoof himself in the jeans alongside the caption, “OOTD,” meaning “outfit of the day.”

He also explained the incident from his own perspective in an interview with chess appTake Take Take, stating that he did not intentionally break the dress code, but rather “barely had time” to change. He also said he offered to ditch the denim the following day, but refused to do so on Friday as “a matter of principle.”

“I said, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s okay, I just didn’t even realize it today,’ but they said, ‘Well, you have to change now,’ and, well, at that point it became, you know, a bit of a matter of principle for me,” he toldTake Take Take. “And yeah, so here we are.”

Carlsen has butted heads with FIDE over past tardiness at chess events — a recurrence that has even earned meme status online, perTake Take Take— but said he has not experienced anything exactly like this before.

He did, however, allege that FIDE has previously gone after players “to get them not to sign with” his chess venture, Freestyle Chess, “basically threatening them that they wouldn’t be able to play the world championship cycle if they played in Freestyle.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Carlsen’s claim that FIDE threatened players who wished to sign with Freestyle is a “lie,” Sutovsky later said on X, adding that “no player was threatened.”

“We were happy to cooperate (as we cooperate with Grand Chess Tour, for example), to align the calendars, etc.,” the CEO wrote. “We care about players, and about their opportunities — constantly improving prize funds and conditions in all our events, and working with numerous partners who conduct their tournaments outside of FIDE.”

source: people.com