THE Magnus Carlsen, The world’s No. 1 chess player pulled out of the World Chess Championship on Friday after refusing to change the jeans he was wearing, according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Carlsen, who has won 5 world rapid titles and 7 world blitz titles in the last 10 years, also withdrew from the World Blitz Championship that follows the tournament.

According to FIDE’s statement, Carlsen violated the tournament’s dress code by appearing in jeans and, upon request by the head referee, refused to change, resulting in a $200 fine.

“This decision was made impartially and applies to all players,” FIDE said, adding that Carlson’s teammate Ian Nepomniacci also broke the dress code by wearing sports shoes, but continued to play once changed.

Relations between Carlsen, one of the world’s most famous chess players, and FIDE, the sport’s governing body, have been increasingly strained of late.

As the 34-year-old Norwegian pointed out, “his patience with (FIDE) was not very long from the beginning”, accusing the international body of “chasing the players so that they don’t sign with Freestyle (Chess)”.

FIDE chief executive Emil Sutovsky, via X, dismissed the claim as false, arguing that FIDE has no problems negotiating the schedules of other tournaments.