Magnus Carlsen has returned to the World Chess Championship to keep competing. After a discussion with FIDE, he hopes the dress code will be less strict in the future. To prove his point, he’s showing up wearing the very jeans that started all of this.
In an interview with GothamChess, Carlsen admitted that he could have changed, but that he fought against the rules based on principle and is adamant that wearing jeans shouldn’t have been against the rules at all. “I don’t even know if I broke any rules, I still haven’t gotten a clear answer,” the chess Grandmaster claimed.
“I didn’t agree with the decision. I thought that the punishment they were going to hand out for what was possibly not even an infraction was unbelievably harsh. I didn’t agree with it, I didn’t want to comply, and I stand by that.”
Magnus asserted that he felt the situation was “badly mishandled” on the end of certain FIDE members, but, after a talk with the president of the federation, some changes have been made by his account.
Carlsen argued that, while it’s important for people to put effort into how they present themselves, that the lines FIDE drew was a bit too harsh in refusing to pair him. Especially when it comes to competitors who may not have the means to purchase higher end clothing.
“What will happen now is that there will be some leeway, there will be some room for arbiters to actually use some common sense. I think we all want the same thing. We don’t want people turning up to these tournaments not putting any effort whatsoever into how they present themselves,” he explained.
As a result of this conversation, Carlsen hopes that there will be a bit more leeway in the future for the dress code and that rules will be less strict.
“We want players to be comfortable, sure, but also relatively presentable. Myself, other players, and FIDE, we’re generally not in much disagreement. I know that not every player has the same means for clothes. It’s good that they’re making some sort of effort.”
Carlsen compared this to a tournament in Kazakhstan from a few years ago, one where he showed up in sweatpants due to being late from a ski trip and played out the round before changing.
“What I wore [sweatpants] was not appropriate attire at all. What I wore a couple days ago, was, in my opinion, and in the opinion of any reasonable person, was appropriate for a 200 player chess tournament.”
FIDE has since made a statement on the matter, saying that they aim to “enhance the conditions and atmosphere of FIDE competitions, ensuring the best possible experience for players and fans alike.”
Magnus plans to compete in the 2024 World Blitz Championship and try to take another world title.