On the first day of the 2025 World Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, Qatar, chess superstar Magnus Carlsen caused a stir with his choice of pants. According to an expert, the Norwegian’s clothing once again violated the FIDE guidelines, which had already been relaxed after the mega-excitement last year.
At the World Blitz Chess Championship last year, Magnus Carlsen was only allowed to wear jeans on the board after he was threatened with withdrawing from the competition. Before the new edition of the World Cup, which runs until December 30 in Doha, the wearing of jeans was expressly permitted, which did not go down well with some professionals.
In order to avoid another fuss about his choice of clothing, Carlsen had actually announced that he wanted to wear a “boring outfit”. However, “NRK” chess expert Torstein Bae is certain: With his choice to wear light-colored chinos on the first day of the World Cup, the 35-year-old has once again violated the FIDE regulations.
Chess: Referees see no problem
“These are light-colored trousers. Actually, light-colored trousers are not allowed,” explained the TV expert, pointing out that the world association actually requires “dark business casual trousers, including classic, not worn jeans in the colors blue, black or gray” on the board. However, the referees saw it differently.
“According to the current rules, Magnus’ pants do not comply with the rules. But they clearly correspond to the intention of the rules,” said Kristoffer Gressli, who added: “The intention is that it looks relatively professional and that people don’t walk around in sweatpants or shorts, as was the case before.”
World Cup main referee Nebosja Baralic sees it similarly: “In my opinion, they are normal pants. He looks completely fine. Fortunately, the rules are a little more flexible than in previous years.” Carlsen was not deterred by the quiet unrest on the board on the first day of the World Championships.
After winning his first four games, the final meeting with Arjun Erigaisi, who was also still unbeaten, ended in a draw. “I was pretty exhausted before the last game, and then it got a little more exciting than you might have thought,” Carlsen commented on his first appearances on “NRK”.