World chess number one Magnus Carlsen quits tournament after refusing to change jeans

World chess champion Magnus Carlsen has withdrawn from a significant tournament after being informed that he was not allowed to wear jeans.

The chess grandmaster was competing to defend his titles at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York when the event took place.

Authorities indicated that Carlsen violated the dress code by donning jeans and requested him to change his outfit, but the 34-year-old declined to comply.

The governing organization, Fide, announced that they have imposed a $200 (£159) penalty on the current champion.

Carlsen, who was the world champion from 2013 to 2023, mentioned that he had a lunch meeting right before the round and needed to get ready in a hurry.

"I put on a shirt and a jacket, and honestly, I didn't even consider wearing jeans; I even switched out my shoes," he shared with Take Take Take.

"I hadn't given it much thought... Initially, I received a fine, which was okay, but then I was warned that I wouldn't be matched up unless I changed my outfit. They mentioned I could do that after the third round today."

I mentioned, "I can make the change tomorrow if that's alright because I completely overlooked it today." But they responded, "Actually, you need to change it right now." At that moment, it turned into a question of principle for me.

The top-ranked player stated that he wouldn't contest the ruling, saying, "To be honest, I'm at an age where I don't really care that much anymore."

"If this is their plan... I suppose it's a two-way street, isn't it? No one seems willing to give in, and this is the situation we've found ourselves in. That’s okay with me. I'm likely going to find a place with better weather than what we have here."

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In a playful post on X later on, Carlsen posted a picture of his jeans and jacket outfit and captioned it "OOTD" (outfit of the day).

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FIDE stated in a press release that it enforced its regulations "fairly," mentioning a different incident in which a player was penalized for switching his shoes.

Five-time World Chess champion Carlsen was involved in a controversy with competitor Hans Niemann in the past.

The Norwegian accused Niemann of cheating after losing a tournament in 2022. Niemann, however, dismissed the claims and stated that he would "take everything off" to demonstrate his innocence.

The duo reached an agreement to resolve a lawsuit for $100 million (£79 million) in August of the previous year.