Magnus Carlsen disqualified from top chess meet for violating dress code
New York (PTI): Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen was first fined and then disqualified from the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship here for his refusal to comply with FIDE's dress code after turning up in jeans.
Defending champion Carlsen was fined USD 200 for wearing jeans, which are "explicitly prohibited" under tournament regulations and when he refused the request to change his attire immediately by chief arbiter Alex Holowczak, he was disqualified and was not paired for Round 9 of the Rapid championship taking place at Wall Street.
One of the game's greatest players, the Norwegian ace had agreed to follow the dress from the next day but was not ready to do it immediately, resulting in his disqualification.
In a statement, the game's global governing body FIDE emphasised that the dress code rules are well-communicated to all participants and designed to ensure professionalism.
"The dress code regulations are drafted by members of the FIDE Athletes Commission, which is composed of professional players and experts. These rules have been in place for years and are well-known to all participants and are communicated to them ahead of each event," FIDE said in the statement which was posted on 'X'.
"FIDE has also ensured that the players' accommodation is within a short walking distance from the playing venue, making adherence to the rules more convenient."
It added, "Today, Mr. Magnus Carlsen breached the dress code by wearing jeans, which are explicitly prohibited under long-standing regulations for this event. The Chief Arbiter informed Mr. Carlsen of the breach, issued a USD 200 fine, and requested that he change his attire.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Carlsen declined, and as a result, he was not paired for round nine. This decision was made impartially and applies equally to all players."
Earlier, Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi was also penalised for a similar violation but he complied by changing his attire, allowing him to continue in the event.
Meanwhile, "upset" with the turn of events, Carlsen said he won't participate in the Blitz section of the championship as he is "pretty tired" of FIDE's dress code policies.
"I am pretty tired of FIDE, so I want no more of this. I don't want anything to do with them. I am sorry to everyone at home, maybe it's a stupid principle, but I don't think it's any fun," Carlsen told Norwegian broadcasting channel NRK.
"I said I don't want to bother changing now, but I can change until tomorrow, that's fine. But they didn't want to compromise. I've reached a point where I am pretty upset with FIDE, so I didn't want to either. Then that's how it goes," he added.
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Congress slams BJP, Sangh Parivar over arrest of Catholic nuns in Chhattisgarh
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 27 (PTI): The Congress in Kerala on Sunday vehemently criticised the BJP and the Sangh Parivar over the reported arrest of two Catholic nuns from the state by police in Chhattisgarh.
According to media reports, the Kerala-based nuns were arrested at a railway station in Chhattisgarh recently on charges of human trafficking and forced conversation raised by right-wing activists.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan cited it as the latest example of attack against minorities in the BJP-ruled states.
In a post on 'X', Venugopal said attacks on minorities have seen a rampant increase under BJP-ruled states, be it Chhattisgarh, Odisha or Madhya Pradesh.
"The latest attacks by Bajrang Dal goons on two Catholic nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh point to a tacit support for such hate crimes from the ruling establishment," he alleged.
Venugopal said he has written to the Union Home Minister and Chhattisgarh CM demanding strict punishment against these culprits and the urgent need to uphold the Constitution so that fundamental rights of minorities are not threatened under their rule.
Echoing similar sentiments, Satheesan said witch-hunt in the name of religion or caste is unacceptable.
In a Facebook post, he alleged that the Kerala nuns became victims of a brutal police witch-hunt.
A "mob trial" was held against the nuns and a false case was filed against them, he alleged.
"The rights guaranteed by the Constitution are for everyone. It is not the generosity of the BJP or the RSS. The nuns arrested in a false case in Chhattisgarh should be released immediately," Satheesan said.
Alleging that the Sangh Parivar are "wolves in sheep's clothing", the Congress leader said that they would come to the churches and Christian homes in Kerala with cakes. "In other places, they will disrupt all the celebrations of Christians. They will attack them brutally. The latest example of this was seen in Chhattisgarh," he alleged.
Attacks on minorities have seen a rampant increase under BJP-ruled States, be it Chhattisgarh, Odisha or MP.
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 27, 2025
The latest attacks by Bajrang Dal goons on 2 Catholic nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh point to a tacit support for such hate crimes from the ruling establishment.
I have… pic.twitter.com/zcwSMVUHLJ
Before their arrest, the Catholic nuns were illegally detained, harassed, and humiliated by Bajrang Dal’s Jyoti Sharma and her team, all in full view of the police, who stood by in silence.
— Anti Christian Tracker Watch - ACT India ✝️ (@ACTWatchIndia) July 27, 2025
🛑No FIR against Jyoti Sharma yet.
Is this democracy or mobocracy? https://t.co/JdUCnb19NY pic.twitter.com/UnGevvou2q
