Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen left the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York on Friday after governing body FIDE banned the Norwegian from taking part in a round of the tournament because he was wearing jeans.

In a statement, the International Chess Federation (or Fédération Internationale des Échecs) said its dress code regulations were designed to “ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.”

FIDE added that it had fined Carlsen $200 and given him the opportunity to change into proper clothing, which the world No. 1 refused.

Carlsen, world champion between 2013 and 2023, said he had a lunch meeting before the round and had to change quickly.

“I put on a shirt and a jacket and honestly, I didn’t even think about jeans, I didn’t even change my shoes,” Carlsen told Take Take Take.

“I didn’t even think about it. … First I got a fine, which is fine, and then I got a warning that if I didn’t change I wouldn’t be paired,” they said that I could make it today after the third round.

“I said, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s okay; I didn’t even notice it today,’ but they said, ‘Well, you have to change now.’ From that point on it became something of a question of principle for me.

The 34-year-old added that he would not be appealing the decision, saying: “Honestly, I’m too old to care too much about it at this point.”

“If that’s what they want to do… I think it goes both ways, right – nobody wants to give in – and here we are. For me that’s fine. I’ll probably head off somewhere.” The weather is a little nicer than here.