Viswanathan Anand on Magnus Carlsen’s Disqualification from World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand has spoken out about the controversial disqualification of defending champion Magnus Carlsen from the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship. Anand revealed that FIDE, the global governing body of chess, did not want to disqualify Carlsen, but the Norwegian left them with no choice after refusing to follow the rules.

The incident occurred when Carlsen was fined USD 200 for wearing jeans, which are explicitly prohibited under tournament regulations. Despite being asked by chief arbiter Alex Holowczak to change his attire after the eighth round, Carlsen refused and was subsequently disqualified. As a result, he was not paired for Round 9 of the Rapid championship, which was taking place at Wall Street.

Anand, who serves as the deputy president of FIDE, explained the situation to Chessbase India, stating, “He simply refused to follow the rules, left us with little choice. Today this decision seemed emotional. Magnus was not willing to compromise. Obviously, it was not a step we wanted to take. We offered several options to Magnus, but he said that he was not going to change on principle.”

Despite not speaking directly to Carlsen, Anand did seek clarification from Carlsen’s father, Henrik, who confirmed that they were not going to concede. Anand emphasized that every other player at the championship was following the rules, with Ian Nepomniachtchi complying when asked to change his attire.

The controversy surrounding Carlsen’s disqualification has overshadowed the ongoing World Rapid and Blitz Championship, with players like Arjun Erigaisi, Harika, and Koneru Humpy shining amidst the drama. Anand reiterated that the decision to disqualify Carlsen was not taken lightly, but ultimately, the arbiter applied the rules, and FIDE supported that decision.