Tuesday 8 April 2025
Magnus Carlsen Enters Back in World Blitz Chess Championship
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Magnus Carlsen, the World Chess Champion and World No. 1 have been in the headlines lately for his controversy with the FIDE. The controversy starts with FIDE disqualifying Magnus for breaching the dress code of the event.
However, with receiving a good amount of criticism, the FIDE had to change their rules, ultimately brining Magnus back in the Championship. Heres an overview of how Magnus Carlsen was disqualified and then re-enter the game.
World No. 1 and defending champion Magnus Carlsen had a rocky start to his FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship campaign in New York City on Thursday, securing just one win and accumulating 2.5 points on the opening day of the year-end event. However, things went upside down, with Carlsen getting ousted from the tournament.
The controversy happened with Magnus reaching the venue in jeans. Chief Arbiter Alex Holowczak told Carlsen of the violation and charged him $200 fine for breaching the dress code. He was also ordered to change to formals immediately. However, the 34-year-old Norwegian Grandmaster refused to comply. He also stated that he would happily change to formals the following day but won’t change on the spot. As a result, Carlsen was not paired for round 9, and FIDE Chief Arbiter disqualified him.
Arbiter cited that rules apply equally to all players. In its statement FIDE stated that regulations of the Championship, including the dress code are same for all players
Two days after Carlsen disqualification, announcement came out of him making a U-turn in the game. The development follows the decision by FIDE to relax their stance and permit Carlsen to wear jeans with a jacket.
The news of Carlsen’s return was first revealed in an interview with IM Levy Rozman on the Take Take Take app. “Long story short: We can talk about how it got here, but I am playing at least one more day in New York, and if I do well, another day after that,” said Carlsen, a five-time world champion.
In parallel, FIDE also released a statement confirming Carlsen’s participation. FIDE is pleased to confirm that Magnus Carlsen will participate in the FIDE World Blitz Championship, it read.
Born on November 30, 1990 Magnus Carlsen is a Norwegian chess grandmaster. He is globally celebrated as one of the greatest players in chess history. He became a grandmaster at 13 and earned a record Elo rating of 2882. Carlsen held the Classical World Chess Championship title from 2013 to 2023, when he chose not to defend it, citing a lack of motivation and dissatisfaction with the game’s format. The title was won by Ding Liren after a match with Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Despite this, Carlsen remained the best player worldwide due to his consistent performance and creative play.
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