Magnus Carlsen will play the World Blitz Championship after all!

by Johannes Fischer
12/30/2024 – The World Rapid Championships, which were played from 26 to 28 December in New York, made unexpected headlines. The reason for this was not the surprising victory of the young Russian GM Volodar Murzin, but the withdrawal of Magnus Carlsen from the tournament after he was accused of violating the dress code. This led to a dispute that escalated quickly. Carlsen withdrew from the World Rapid Championship after 8 rounds and announced he would not play in the Blitz section either. But as Carlsen now explained in a surprising interview with Levy Rozman, he will take part in the Blitz after all. And will be wearing jeans. | Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes
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At least one more day in New York

Magnus Carlsen announced his decision to participate in the World Blitz Championship at the start of an interview with Levy "Gotham Chess" Rozman. The interview was uploaded to YouTube by Take Take Take on Sunday evening around 8 PM, 24 hours before the start of the World Blitz Championship began. Carlsen stated, "Long story short: we can talk about how I reached this decision, but I'll be playing at least one more day in New York, and if things go well, another day as well".

Carlsen was referring to the format of the World Blitz Championship. On 30 December, the first day of the tournament, 13 rounds will be played under the Swiss system. The top 8 players will then compete in a knockout final on 31 December for the title and prize money.

Later in the interview, Carlsen discussed the dress code violation and explained why he decided to participate in the blitz section after all. He described the organisers' and arbiters' decision to exclude him from the ninth round and strictly enforce the rules as "incredibly harsh".

Carlsen criticised the rigid interpretation of the dress code by the arbiters, saying such inflexibility went against common sense. While he acknowledged the importance of maintaining a professional appearance, he emphasised that his attire was appropriate.

Carlsen also revealed that he initially planned to leave New York immediately after withdrawing from the tournament. However, his father, Henrik Carlsen, advised him to take time before making a final decision. After discussions with FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who showed more willingness to compromise than FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky (whom Carlsen criticised sharply in the interview), an agreement was reached. It was Dvorkovich who relaxed the dress code, allowing Carlsen to compete in the Blitz tournament wearing jeans.

In a press release from FIDE, Dvorkovich explained:

It remains essential to adhere to the official dress code, but minor elegant deviations (including well-fitted jeans paired with a blazer) are permitted. After all, it's New Year's, and I sincerely hope no one will attempt to undermine the festive atmosphere, not even by abusing this additional flexibility.

Freestyle Chess

However, as repeatedly mentioned in discussions surrounding Carlsen's withdrawal from the World Rapid Championship, the conflict over the dress code was likely about more than just attire. A significant factor is Carlsen's support for Freestyle Chess, which he promotes alongside German entrepreneur, patron and tournament organiser Jan Henric Buettner and other top grandmasters. A Freestyle Chess World Championship is planned, and this idea does not sit well with FIDE, which claims the exclusive rights to award world championship titles in chess.

Carlsen hinted in the interview that FIDE had pressured players who wanted to participate in Freestyle tournaments.

Above all, he explained why he finds Freestyle Chess so appealing. Unlike classical chess, where opening theory has become so advanced that high-level games often end in dull draws, Freestyle Chess is more dynamic and, due to the lack of established theory, more attractive to top players.

The interview on Take Take Take

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Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".
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