Viswanathan Anand, Deputy President of FIDE, has addressed the controversy surrounding Magnus Carlsen’s withdrawal from the World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2024. The five-time world champion explained that FIDE had no option but to un-pair Carlsen after he refused to adhere to the tournament’s dress code rules.
The issue arose on Day 2 of the tournament in New York City when Carlsen, widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time, arrived wearing jeans, which violated FIDE’s dress code. FIDE Chief Arbiter Alex Holowzsak initially issued a $200 fine and instructed Carlsen to change his attire before the ninth round. However, Carlsen refused, standing firm on what he described as a matter of principle.
“He simply refused to follow rules, leaving us with little choice,” Anand told ChessBase India. “This decision seemed emotional. Magnus was not willing to compromise.”
According to Anand, FIDE tried multiple times to resolve the issue amicably. “The arbiter said that as long as Magnus changed his jeans before the ninth round, it would be fine. But Magnus said he was not going to do it on principle. The arbiter applied the rules, and we supported that.”
Anand further highlighted that other players had complied with similar requests. “Ian Nepomniachtchi was asked to change, and he did so. That is why he was able to continue. The fact that Magnus simply refused left us with little choice,” Anand added.
The situation escalated when Carlsen decided to withdraw from the tournament after being un-paired. The Norwegian Grandmaster later posted a photo of himself in the attire that led to his disqualification with the caption “OOTD” (Outfit of the Day), taking a dig at FIDE. The post quickly went viral, sparking debates among fans about the relevance of dress codes in modern chess.
Anand mentioned that he had not directly spoken to Carlsen but had sought clarification from Carlsen’s father, Henrik. “He stated they were not going to concede, so I left,” Anand revealed.
Carlsen trolls Chess Federation
Carlsen’s response
Carlsen detailed the events leading to the controversy: “I had a really good sleep and a nice lunch meeting before I came here. I just barely had time to go to my room and change, so I put on a shirt and a jacket. Honestly, I didn’t even think about the jeans.
When asked if he had appealed the decision, Carlsen replied: “No, I haven’t appealed. 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. I’ll probably head somewhere with nicer weather than here.”
