Magnus Carlsen plays in World Blitz Chess Championship after resolving jeans controversy

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen played his first match at the World Blitz Championship after initially quitting the chess tournament due to a dress code dispute with organizers.

On Friday, Carlsen walked away from the World Rapid Chess Championship after refusing to change out of his jeans, which the International Chess Federation (FIDE) said breached the tournament’s dress code.

As a result, Carlsen quit and said he would not return for the Blitz competition which starts on Monday in New York.

However, in an interview with chess channel Take Take Take on Sunday, the Norwegian said he would feature in competition after “fruitful” conversations with FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich and the main tournament sponsor.

Carlsen, though, insisted he would continue wearing jeans.

The Norwegian was true to his word, arriving in jeans and just over a minute late to his first round Blitz match on Monday against German grandmaster Michael Bezold.

Despite arriving slightly late, Carlsen spent a few seconds adjusting the pieces on the board before playing his first move and ultimately going on to win the match.

The 34-year-old, who has won five world rapid and seven world blitz titles in the last 10 years, was fined $200 for wearing jeans during the rapid tournament on Friday and was asked to change by the Chief Arbiter.

He declined, explaining he had been at a lunch meeting before heading to the tournament’s second day and “barely had time” to change his clothes.

After a standoff with FIDE, he then opted to walk away from the rapid tournament as a “matter of principle.”

“This decision was made impartially and applies equally to all players,” FIDE said at the time, adding that fellow competitor Ian Nepominatchi also breached the dress code by wearing sports shoes but continued to play once he had changed.

Rule change

But in a statement on Sunday, FIDE president Dvorkovich said he regretted how the situation escalated.

“It is unfortunate that the implementation of dress-code rules, while being legally sound and consistent, has left some feeling this is disproportionate and caused the situation everyone would have preferred to avoid,” he said, before announcing changes to the rules for the upcoming blitz tournament.

“Based on the consultations with our partners and their preferences, I took the decision to trial an approach to provide more flexibility to FIDE officials in judgements regarding the suitability of the attire.

“The principle is simple: it is still required to follow the official dress-code, but elegant minor deviations (that may, in particular, include appropriate jeans matching the jacket) are allowed.”

Carlsen, who has won five world rapid and seven world blitz titles in the last 10 years, has continually butted heads with FIDE, the sport’s governing body, over the years.

When initially announcing his decision to quit the tournaments, Carlsen said his “patience with (FIDE) wasn’t very big to begin with.”

However, he rowed back on some of his comments on Sunday.

“I did have some choice words for FIDE in my interview with you,” he told the Take Take Take channel on Sunday.

“I would say that it was a bit imprecise. I definitely mean it when it comes to certain people in FIDE, no question about it. I think the situation was badly mishandled on their side.”

In his Sunday statement, the FIDE president recognized the need to change elements of the rulebook.

“The concerns raised by Magnus Carlsen highlight the need for further discussion about how to modernize the current approach, to ensure that our rules and their application reflect the evolving nature of chess as a global and accessible sport,” Dvorkovich said.

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