Was Magnus Carlsen Kicked Out Of World Rapid And Blitz Championship For Wearing Jeans? 34-Year-Old Says ‘F**k You’

Magnus Carlsen has been disqualified from the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York due to a breach of FIDE’s dress code, which prohibits jeans. Carlsen reportedly attended a match wearing jeans, which led to the controversy.

Grandmaster Susan Polgar explained the incident in a post on X (formerly Twitter). She stated that Carlsen was fined and asked to change his attire. While he agreed to comply the next day, he refused to change immediately, leading FIDE to disqualify him from the tournament. In response, Carlsen chose not to participate in the Blitz Championship either.

Speaking to a Norwegian broadcaster, Carlsen expressed his frustration with FIDE. “I’m tired of dealing with them. This may seem like a trivial principle, but I’m done. I don’t find this enjoyable anymore,” he said.

Carlsen clarified that his dress code violation was unintentional, recounting the sequence of events on YouTube. He shared that after a busy day, he dressed quickly, putting on a shirt and jacket but forgetting about the jeans. Despite receiving a warning after the first or second game, Carlsen said he proposed changing the next day, but FIDE insisted he comply immediately. “At that point, it became a matter of principle for me,” he explained.

The chess champion also criticized FIDE for its past actions, accusing the organization of pressuring players to avoid affiliating with Freestyle Chess by threatening their participation in the World Championship cycle. He concluded his statement with a blunt remark, emphasizing his decision to step away from the tournament.

“FIDE actively wanted to, they were actually going after players as well to get them not to sign with Freestyle, basically threatening them that they wouldn’t be able to play the World Championship cycle, if they played in Freestyle,” asserted Carlsen, ” concluding, “So honestly, my patience with them was not very big to begin with. And it’s okay. They can enforce their rules. That’s fine by me. And my response is that fine, then I’m out. Like, f** you. I don’t think anything more has to be said.”