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The world’s No. 1 chess player quit a major tournament in New York City on Friday after he refused to comply with a strict, no denim dress code.
Magnus Carlsen, 34, arrived on the second day of the International Chess Federation (FIDE)’s World Blitz Chess Championship and the World Rapid Chess Championship in jeans on Friday, the BBC reported.
After several rounds, Carlsen was suddenly asked to change out of his jeans to comply with the FIDE’s dress code, or else he would be fined $200 and dropped from the tournament.
Officials refused Carlson’s offer to show up the next day in the right pants, which is when the issue “became a bit of a matter of principle” to Carlsen.
He dropped out of the tournament and said he won’t be appealing the decision.
“Honestly, I am too old at this point to care too much,” Carlsen told the BBC.
He later shared a photo on X of his denim outfit, captioned “OOTD,” an abbreviation of outfit of the day.
Originally published by Latin Times
