NEW YORK — Top-ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen was fined at another tournament for refusing to change his clothes and was denied late-round matches after governing bodies agreed to relax the dress code. He is scheduled to return to the World Blitz Championship on Monday. jeans.
In a statement on Sunday, International Chess Federation President Arkady Dvorkovich told World Blitz Championship officials to wear “appropriate jeans” and jackets, as well as other “elegant and minor deviations” from the dress code. He said he would consider allowing it.
He said Carlsen's position, which led to Friday's withdrawal from the tournament, calls for further discussion “to ensure that our rules and their application reflect the evolving nature of chess as a global and accessible sport.” He said it was highlighted.
Meanwhile, Carlsen said in a video posted to social media on Sunday that he plans to play in jeans at the World Blitz Championship, which begins on Monday.
“I think the situation was horribly mishandled on their part,” the 34-year-old Norwegian grandmaster said. But he added that he loves playing blitz, a fast-paced form of chess, and wanted fans to watch, and was encouraged by discussions with the federation after Friday's showdown.
“I think we all want the same thing,” he suggested in a video on the chess app Take Take Take's YouTube channel. “We want our players to be comfortable, but we also want them to look relatively good.”
The event began Friday, when Carlsen competed in the Rapid World Championships wearing jeans and a sport coat. This championship is held separately from Blitzkrieg.
The chess federation announced Friday that long-standing rules prohibit the wearing of jeans at these tournaments and that players are staying nearby to make it easier to change outfits if necessary.
Officials fined Carlsen $200 and asked him to change his pants, but Carlsen refused and was unable to play in the ninth round, the federation announced at the time.
The organization noted that another grandmaster, Ian Nepomniatchi, was fined earlier in the day for wearing sports shoes, changed shoes and continued playing.
Carlsen said he offered to wear different clothes the next day, but officials would not budge. He quit the Rapid and Blitz Championships, saying, “It became a bit of a matter of principle.”
In a video posted Sunday, he questioned whether he really broke the rules, saying changing clothes between games would unnecessarily disrupt his concentration. He described the punishment as “incredibly harsh.”
“Of course I could have changed. Obviously I didn't want to do that,” he said, adding, “I support that.”
