World chess champion Magnus Carlsen will compete in Monday’s World Blitz Championship after the International Chess Federation relaxed its dress code following a controversy.
Carlsen stormed out after he was fined $200 and denied a ninth-round game at the Rapid World Championship for refusing to change out of jeans, leading him to quit both championships in protest.
Another grandmaster, Ian Nepomniachtchi, was also fined for wearing sports shoes but changed and continued playing.
“I think the situation was badly mishandled on their side,” Carlsen said in a Sunday video on his Take Take Take chess app’s YouTube channel. The 34-year-old Norwegian added that while “obviously, I didn’t want to” change clothes, he loves playing blitz chess and wants fans to watch the competition.
Federation President Arkady Dvorkovich announced Sunday that tournament officials can now allow “appropriate jeans” with a jacket and other “elegant minor deviations” from the dress code.
He acknowledged the need to ensure rules reflect “the evolving nature of chess as a global and accessible sport.”
Carlsen questioned whether he had broken any rules and said changing would have disrupted his concentration. “Of course, I could have changed… I stand by that,” he said, though noting recent discussions with the federation were encouraging. “I think we sort of all want the same thing. We want the players to be comfortable, sure, but also relatively presentable.”