World number one chess player Magnus Carlsen has withdrawn from a major tournament after being told he could not continue playing in jeans.
The chess great was defending his titles at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship in New York when officials made the request.
The grandmaster said he offered to change his pants for the next day, but was fined and told he needed to change his pants immediately.
The FIDE chess federation said its dress code is designed to “ensure fairness and professionalism for all participants.”
Carlsen is a prominent figure in chess and has attracted some controversy in recent years.
Last year, he settled a long-running legal dispute after a competitor was accused of cheating in a tournament.
On Friday he withdrew from the short edition tournament due to a dress code altercation. Carlsen was the champion of Blitz and Rapid Chess.
He added that he would not appeal the decision, saying: “Honestly, I'm too old at this point to care much.”
He said he was wearing jeans to a lunch meeting, and “didn't even think” about changing them into a different pair when heading to the tournament.
He showed up wearing a T-shirt, jacket, dark jeans and dress shoes and played a few rounds before being asked to change clothes.
When his offer to change to the next day was rejected, Carlsen said it “became a matter of principle for me.”
The FIDE confirmed in a statement that the 34-year-old had been fined $200 (£159), and said its rules were being applied “neutral”. They pointed to a case where another player was fined on the same day before changing his shoes.
Carlsen is a five-time world chess champion, and still maintains the number one ranking in the sport.
The Norwegian has long been considered a maverick in the chess world since he became a grandmaster – the highest title in chess – at the age of 13.
In a now-settled dispute with rival Hans Niemann, Carlsen withdrew from the tournament in 2022 after Niemann beat him, before going on to accuse his American rival of cheating.
Neiman denied the allegations and even said he would “strip completely naked” to prove his innocence.
The couple went on to settle a lawsuit for $100m (£79m) in August last year.
