Magnus Carlsen Disqualified From World Rapid And Blitz Championships For Wearing Jeans: 'I'm Out...F*** You'

“This is what I got so far. He wore jeans (which is not allowed by FIDE according to tournament rules, which were published prior to the event). He was fined and agreed to change for tomorrow but refused to change for tonight. FIDE did not agree with his position. Therefore, Magnus is out of the World Rapid Championship and decided not play in the World Blitz Championship either," Polgar wrote.

Carlsen later told a Norwegian broadcaster that he quit because of principle.

“I am pretty tired of FIDE, so I want no more of this. I don’t want anything to do with them. I am sorry to everyone at home, maybe it’s a stupid principle, but I don’t think it’s any fun," Carlsen told NRK.

Carlsen didn’t have the best of starts to the competition. He drew against Awonder Liang, Gleb Dudin, and Aleksandr Shimanov besides losing to Denis Lazavik.

Explaining his side of the story, Carlsen indicated he didn’t violate the dress code deliberately.

“I had a really good sleep, and I had a nice lunch meeting before I came here. I just barely had time to go to the room, change, so I put on a shirt, a jacket. And honestly, I didn’t even think about the jeans. I even changed my shoes, but I didn’t even think about it. And so I got here, and I don’t know if it was after the first game or second game. I think it was after…I don’t remember but I got a warning that I needed to change," Carlsen explained on YouTube channel Take Take Take.

“First I got a fine and then got a warning that I would not be paired if I didn’t go change my jeans immediately. They said that I could do it after the third round today. I said, I’ll change tomorrow if that’s okay. I didn’t even realise it today. But they said you have to change now. At that point it became a bit of a matter of principle for me," he added.

Carlsen said FIDE has threatened players with ban from world championship cycle in the past if they signed with Freestyle Chess.

“…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. 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," he said.