A chess legend has been disqualified and fined after he was caught with a ‘prohibited’ item during a top tournament this week.
On Friday (December 27), Norwegian chess great Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen – known as Magnus Carlsen – faced a tough order at the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York, which saw him quit the tournament on a ‘matter of principle’.
The 34-year-old grandmaster first caught the eye of the chess world in 2004 when, at the age of 13, he made headlines with his victory.
In 2013, he was crowned World Chess Champion, a title which he went on to defend or win again for five times, plus World Blitz Chess Champion seven times and has held the top number one spot in the FIDE world chess rankings since July 2011.
So, it’s fair to say the chess prodigy knows quite a bit about the rules and regulations of the game and of the tournament etiquette.
However, the governing body barred Carlsen from participating in a round for the first time on Friday – and all for wearing a regular item of fashionable clothing.
FIDE said in a statement that it has strict dress code regulations to ‘ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants’.
Among the rules is a ban on sneakers, hats or caps and only collared shirts or polo shirts, jackets and long trousers are permitted for men, or blouses, dresses or formal t-shirts for women.
All clothes must be in good condition and clean before playing, and generally appear business-casual ready. But where did Carlsen go wrong?
Well, according to FIDE, jeans are deemed inappropriate ahead of such a huge tournament, and are not considered business attire by European standards.
According to ESPN, the body slapped Carlsen with a $200 fine, but had given him the chance to change into the correct clothing.
However, the chess champ rejected the offer as he told Take Take Take that he had a lunch meeting before the round and had to change quickly, but ‘didn’t even think’ about the banned item.
He said: “I put on a shirt, jacket and honestly like I didn’t even think about jeans, even changed my shoes. I didn’t even think about it … First of all, I got a fine which is fine, and then I got a warning that I would not be paired if I didn’t go change my clothes.
They said that I could do it after the third round today.
“I said ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s OK, I didn’t even realise it today’, but they said, ‘Well you have to change now.’ At that point it became a bit of a matter of principle for me.”
When asked if he would appeal the ruling, he said: “Honestly, I am 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 off to somewhere where the weather is a bit nicer than here.”
