Magnus Carlsen has spoken out against Viswanathan Anand, accusing the former champion of failing to handle a dress code dispute properly. The Norwegian chess star reversed his decision to withdraw from the World Rapid and Blitz Championship, citing issues with FIDE’s inflexible policies and Anand’s lack of intervention in the controversy.
PC Bureau
After a dramatic fallout with FIDE, the world chess governing body, and its vice-president Viswanathan Anand over a dress code dispute, Magnus Carlsen has decided to reverse his earlier decision to withdraw from the World Rapid and Blitz Championship. T
he World No. 1 chess player confirmed his participation in the World Blitz Championship, but not before criticizing FIDE’s rigid interpretation of the rules and calling out Anand for failing to effectively handle the situation.
Carlsen’s remarks came just hours after he confirmed he would compete in the event, following a week of controversies surrounding his withdrawal from the World Rapid and Blitz tournament. Speaking to Levi Rozman from Take, Take, Take at the New York event, Carlsen said, “I am playing at least one more day here in New York, and if I do well, another day after that.”
“We had many discussions yesterday, and we have a good relationship with FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich,” Carlsen continued. “Speaking with Dvorkovich and the main sponsor, Turlov, it felt like we could have some fruitful discussions, and in the end, I decided to play.”
FIDE released a statement expressing their eagerness to continue collaborating with Carlsen and the global chess community, highlighting the positive impact his participation would have on the tournament. “This is great news for the chess world. We are delighted that the reigning World Blitz Chess Champion will be competing to defend his title at the highly anticipated event in New York,” the statement read.
Suiting up. https://t.co/o7NWqgfVj2
— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) December 29, 2024
The controversy began after Carlsen was fined by FIDE for violating the dress code by wearing jeans on Day 2 of the World Rapid Championship. This led to a public feud between Carlsen and FIDE. Speaking on the Take, Take, Take podcast, Carlsen voiced his frustration with how the situation was handled. “I did have some choice words for FIDE in my interview earlier. I stand by them when it comes to certain people in FIDE,” Carlsen said. “The situation was badly mishandled. I was ready to leave and book my tickets home until my father suggested waiting to speak with Dvorkovich, with whom we share a good relationship.”
Carlsen criticized Anand, after their discussions failed to resolve the issue. “We had long conversations with Anand and others, but they didn’t lead anywhere,” he explained. “It seemed like the arbiters were treated as inflexible robots with no room for discretion. To this day, I still don’t have a clear answer if I actually broke any rules.”
Carlsen argued that while the dress code generally prohibits jeans, exceptions should have been made. “If I, with a decent outfit apart from the jeans, didn’t qualify as an exception, I don’t know what would,” he added.
Turning to Anand’s handling of the matter, Carlsen remarked, “Anand said he didn’t know he had any authority beyond accepting the arbiters’ draconian decision not to pair me. For all his good qualities, this situation shows he’s not ready for this role.”
Anand had previously defended FIDE’s decision, stating that Carlsen left the organization with no choice after refusing to comply with the dress code. Despite the controversy, Carlsen ultimately reversed his earlier stance, confirming that he will compete in the World Blitz Championship.
The incident has reignited debates surrounding FIDE’s dress code policies and the broader governance of professional chess.
