6mo ago

Magnus Carlsen: Chess champion quits FIDE tournament after being told to change jeans

www.bbc.com

The defending champion said he quit as a "matter of principle" after being told to change his jeans.

Archived version: https://web.archive.org/web/20241229085023/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98lkrdkz70o

SpinScore: https://spinscore.io/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fc98lkrdkz70o

92 comments

Maintaining fashion standards (nb: hygiene is a separate issue) in an intellectual contest is so fucking stupid. Who decided jeans were less formal than khakis anyway?
- Assholes trying to gatekeep the poors from their hobbies.
  
  Come on now. This really isn't a high bar and it only applies to the top tournaments. They will allow any legwear that is not jeans. Literally every professional sports has some form of equipment requirement and chess is probably one of the cheapest.
  If you think world championship contenders can't be expected to afford normal trousers, what do you think athletes spend on running shoes, baseball gloves and ice skates?
- Chess wants to maintain an air of elitism.
I could absolutely see a dresscode being enforced heavily if it was seen by the opponent during the match, then a choice of color or style could be done to mess with the opponent, but they sit at a table, the opponent can't see his pants, as long as the pants would be acceptable for an IT guy in an office, they should be acceptable here
- if it was seen by the opponent during the match, then a choice of color or style could be done to mess with the opponent
  Somehow I doubt a loud tie is banned. This is just arbitrary shit made up by petty tyrants.
  
  i dont think it's entirely arbitrary. it's probably mostly rabid classism.
- I've worked IT jobs that require khakis and it's equally stupid and pointless.
- as long as the pants would be acceptable for an IT guy in an office
  Jeans aren't acceptable attire at any place I've done IT work for.
  
  I work in finance IT and have never had any complaints about jeans.
  
  That's wild. Can't remember a job I was not working in jeans... usually had a polo but other than that, pretty informal.
  
  Wow I never had a comment about any clothing in my IT jobs and I just wear whatever I would otherwise, almost always jeans in some form for the lower body. Graphic tees, band shirts etc quite often as well. I'd hate to work in a that stuck up environment.
The article I read yesterday about it was skewed a little different.
He was out for lunch with a friend and went straight to the tournament after and forgot he was wearing jeans. He offered to change them for the next day but they said he had to do it now, at which point he said it was a matter of principal and walked off. I know I have no idea how the "societal elite" live but I don't carry an extra set of pants on me when I go places.
As someone who accidentally ended up on a management level web cam meeting with a "death and taxes being the only thing you can count on" shirt, I understand not realizing what you are wearing in the morning. I have since made changes to what I allow myself to wear on working days
- Wearing the shirt backwards would have worked in a pinch, unless the back had a guillotine and said "Eat the Rich".
  Here I am designing tshirts.
  
  I very well could have run to my room and change the shirt. But it was a call from my boss so I answered and he said we were hoping on a call to discuss this crisis and I said ok. It wasn't until I looked at my picture on zoom that I nice what I was wearing and at that point we were 20 minutes into the call. Anyone paying attention would have already seen the shirt and I figured it would be stranger for me to stop the camera and run and change the shirt.
- "Two simple words: I, forgot. I'm sorry, I forgot to pay my taxes. I forgot armed robbery was illegal." - Steve Martin
- I don’t know. He’s an adult. He knew the rules. Rules are worthless if they’re applied unevenly. You can argue a dress code is dumb but the time to argue that is not right before your match starts. He agreed to the rules by signing up, he can follow the rules.
  And, I’m not rich but I’m sure I or a friend/family could have fetched a pair of pants.
  
  I believe this wasn't the first day of the tournament so it wasn't right before it started.
  I'm sure he normally would follow the rules but their is a saying "exception to every rule" for a reason. I don't know the circumstances, I don't even know the guy, I'm sure their were other ways it could be handled. I just think this article and this headline portray the event in the worst light.
- I usually wore Iron maiden and Judas priest black concert Ts at work. Got written up for it too. Just didn't give a flying fuck.
The dress code is designed to ensure fairness and professionalism sounds like school officials saying we take the safety of our students very seriously whenever they've done something really stupid.
- While i respect your sentiments, if you're active in the chess community, you'll know that Magnus' actions are being shunned by many. The players typically get to vote on the dress code, and they are well informed beforehand about what that decision is.
  The real reason Magnus' left the tournament was to stir up some drama and publicity that he can then use to promote his Freestyle Chess tournament.
  
  Also jeans better hide the cheese computer butt plugs.
  
  Magnus never fails to milk magnus.
Did he shit himself or something? What was wrong with the jeans he was wearing?
- Against dress code, is what the article I read yesterday said. Even though you can wear slacks made to look like jeans, as long as they are not denim they are fine.
  
  So it sounds like there was nothing wrong with his pants then
Relevant links:
FIDE statement regarding Magnus Carlsen’s dress code breach
Statement by FIDE President on dress-code rules for Rapid and Blitz Championships
FIDE dress code
Emphasis on the third link, on what's not allowed: sneakers, jeans, t-shirts. Under the claim that it's "to maintain the high standards of the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships"... yeah, nah, non sequitur.
And more importantly it shows that the dress code in question is NOT about decency, or preventing cheating, or not distracting other players; it's all about "if you dress casually we're going to be assumptive trash and assume that you don't take the competition seriously." No wonders Carlsen walked away from it.
- The NBA requires players to suit up when arriving at a game. Some MLB teams require pretty strict dress codes (famously the Yankees and facial hair).
  Organized sports can be weird to say the least.
  
  Note: since I don't watch basketball or baseball, I had to dig for further info. As such take what I say with a grain of salt.
  ...they sound equally as silly and arbitrary as FIDE's dress code. In special, apparently the NBA dress code (when arriving at a game, as you said; inside the game it's another can of worms) was created to target hip hop clothing, associating it with crime; this is clearly prejudice.
  
  Mattingly I thought I told you to shave those sideburns
Every time I see a headline about a chess tournament, it's for something like this
Not gonna change my pants. Vandals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBlPyWIjBFs
Chess players are just glorified board game players trying to create a respectful gentleman society
Knows the rules shows up in jeans and is asked to change. He decides to leave…lol really shows his character! Also got upset and quit when the American beat him…
- Isn't that the definition of taking a stand against something you disagree with, tho. He said it was a matter of principal. Idk anything about his reaction to losing to America or anything else about the dude so I'm not arguing he isn't an ass. I just feel if I played chess and disagreed with their antiquated policy on attire, then I would prolly do something like not wear jeans to bring attention to how stupid it is. But that's just me and I am a huge supporter if everyone having the right to protest anything regardless of what is being protested.
- It's a bigger blunder for FIDE...they get headlines now that they kicked possibly the current most famous player in chess over a dress code violation that was not in the least distracting to other players.
  He didn't show up in a T-shirt and jeans, he wore a blazer and a collared shirt.
  They just look follish for digging their heels in
  
  A player broke the rules, which have been consistently applied for a long time, and refused to change after his first warning. Do you expect FIDE to make an exception just because he's the top contender?
Is he 12?
- He was the person breaking the dress code, not the person enforcing it.
  
  And complaining about it like he is 12.
They have a dresscode and he didn't follow it. Whether it was an accident or whether you can even see his pants are irrelevant. He even says he doesn't care at this point so this is more about Carlsen being an entitled baby more than FIDE having a stupid rule.
- I think entitled baby would be if he stomped his feet and clenched his fists and insisted he be allowed to wear whatever he wanted. Quitting the tournament is more like he truly DGAF. I would call that not giving a fuck.
  
  Okay, good point. He didn't exactly complain, he just left. But when he said "it's a matter of principle", it comes off as him expecting special treatment. The organization was just trying to enforce their rule.
- Rules will keep getting more stupid if everyone blindly follows them. Rules are written by humans, who make mistakes and change over time. Hopefully they consider changing the dress code, considering how society has evolved since it was written.
  
  This is what someone who is inactive in the chess community would say. I don't blame you, but it's more than just, "We make the rules, so do as we say"
Let’s sign up for a tournament that has a dress code and then NOT follow the dress code. Then let’s complain that the tournament people are jerks because they didn’t let someone ignore the dress code.
Down vote me.
- Sign up for a tournamet.
  The organization behind it is antiquated and run by a cadre of status quo defenders.
  Decide the rules need to be challenged, show up and challenge it.
  Walk out without causing a comotion.
  The world starts to talk about what happened.
  Point made.
  (no down vote)
- I downvoted you 'cuz you told me to, but then I upvoted you because i agree
- I don't think his reasoning is relevant at all. I could not care less why he chose to wore jeans. The rule is stupid, period.
Too much drama with this guy...
I'm not into chess, I'm into pool, and when people like this guy make noise around pool instead of shooting pool matches fair and square, I stop watching.
Same reason I stopped watching John McEnroe tennis matches back in the days: I'm interested in the sport, not the drama.
- If wearing jeans is the worst drama he is part of he seems like a great guy.
- Lol what? Its the other way around. He just showed up normal and they made a big deal about nothing
  
  It is NOT the other way around.
  He chose to enter a tournament whose organizers impose a dress code, without complying with the dress code.
  The dress code is silly perhaps and has nothing to do with chess. But if he didn't like it, all he had to do is not participate.
  I know fellow pool players who regularly forgo some venues on the circuit because they're forced to dress in a certain way that's to restrictive to movements around the table in their eyes and that's fine. Their tournament, their rules.
- I find this take fascinating because, although I also like watching athletes and sports, I see the fandom and names as a huge soap opera cast. I just can't keep up with any of it, the names, the injuries, the rivalries, the trades. It's all just a bunch of banal meaningless drama to me that I will never have the enthusiasm to track. It's all the same old shit from season to season with a rotating cast of hot young fools, just like General Hospital. As such I can't talk sports with people. I can watch, but the events wash over me without the same meaning or substance. For that reason, flamboyant and over-the-top drama (like hot tempers, trash talking, and general mischief) that happens during play is actually interesting as long as it isn't too unsportsman-like and doesn't interfere with the game too much. The soap opera drama is boring, the sports is interesting, but the performance and affectations are spicy.
  To be clear, your take is totally valid and I'm not really critical of it at all. I just have a different perspective.
- Listen, poindexter, nobody gives a shit about your snobby thoughts on chess.
PR bullshit. It’s not a new rule, he did this to get people to pay attention to some other tournament that no-one would have given a shit about otherwise.
- You're getting downvoted by anti-establisbment Lemmings that don't even know how the knights move
  
  You mean the horsey?
Carlsen has been a giant child the last few years.
The sooner Caruana gains 30 rating points and replaces him as #1, the better.
I don't care if fide are in the right or wrong, this is the newest in a line of unprofessional behaviour by the former world champ.
We're basically living in both the Fischer and Kasparov timelines at the same time
- The grandmaster said he had offered to change his trousers for the next day, but was fined and told he needed to change immediately.
  Who is being childish and unprofessional? Fining and kicking someone out over pants (and shoes) is the height of pettiness to me. He sounds like someone who just didn't care about it, and that's fine. If you don't like the rules, leave. And he did.
  
  He cared the 100 other tournaments, and he would have cared if his first 2-3 days weren't terrible and not be out of winning the tournament.
  
  I don’t care if fide are in the right or wrong, this is the newest in a line of unprofessional behaviour by the former world champ.
  I'm willing to bet he arrived late like usual so he had no chance to change.

92 comments