Norwegian world chess champion Magnus Carlsen was disqualified from the blitz chess world championship in New York after he refused to change his jeans for a formal shirt. The organizers had previously asked him to adhere to the strict dress code.
Carlsen confirmed his disqualification and stated that he would also withdraw from the blitz tournament, which is set to begin on December 30. The world champion emphasized that he was fed up with being dictated to by the chess organization about how he should dress.
“I barely had time to go to my room and change, so I put on a shirt and a jacket. And to be honest, I didn’t even think about the jeans. I even changed my shoes. I said I would change tomorrow, but they insisted I do it now. It became a matter of principle for me, and here we are. Honestly, I’m too old to care. If that’s what they want, I’ll probably go somewhere with better weather.”
The international chess federation FIDE stated in a statement that the decision to disqualify Carlsen was in line with the tournament’s rules and dress code.