FIDE statement regarding Magnus Carlsen’s dress code breach
FIDE regulations for the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, including the dress code, are designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants. 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 $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 in the day, another participant, Mr. Ian Nepomniachtchi, was also fined for breaching the dress code by wearing sports shoes. However, Mr. Nepomniachtchi complied, changed into approved attire, and continued to play in the tournament. 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 has also ensured that the players’ accommodation is within a short walking distance from the playing venue, making adherence to the rules more convenient. FIDE remains committed to promoting chess and its values, including respect for the rules that all participants agree to follow.
Historic first for New York and chess: FIDE World Rapid and Blitz debut on Wall Street
In a historic moment for chess and the U.S., the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships opened on Wall Street, featuring 300 strongest players from across the globe. The first day of the Rapid belongs to the youngest players, as prodigies lead in both the Open and the Women’s competition. Drawing millions of online viewers every last week in December, the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz is one of the most exciting, dramatic and memorable annual chess tournaments. For the first time, FIDE has brought this event to the U.S., to one of the world’s most iconic cities. Thanks to the support of Freedom Holding Corp., a NASDAQ-traded financial services company, the 2024 edition is taking place on Wall Street, a stone’s throw from the New York Stock Exchange. Highlighting the synergy between chess and finance, FIDE Deputy President and former World Champion Vishy Anand noted: “New York is the financial center of the world, and this week it will transform into the chess center of the world, hosting the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships”. He added that the event will include a chess and finance conference exploring their unique connections. CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. Timur Turlov, whose company has been supporting chess events since 2022, noted the importance of the game as “a vital part of the culture and history of humanity”. “New York embodies the spirit of tolerance, fair competition, and achievement. Regardless of gender, age, or nationality, everyone here can find success and realize their potential. Just like on the chessboard”, Turlov said. The President of the U.S. Chess Federation, Kevin Pryor, reminded everyone about the Christmas spirit of the season by adding a chess link to it. “As the song goes, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. For the global chess community, we expand that meaning with the annual World Rapid and Blitz Championship”. Pryor highlighted the rich chess history of New York and its vibrant chess community. The 2024 WRB opened with the Rapid tournament that will last three days. The first day of the Rapid saw five rounds in the Open and four in the Women’s tournament. Open Rapid Despite all the attention, the top-favorite and defending World Rapid Champion, Magnus Carlsen is in the shadows, having scored just 2.5 points out of five. Instead, the first day of the 2024 World Rapid in the Open competition belongs to 18-year-old Volodar Murzin (pictured below, left), who scored an impressive 4.5/5, including a notable victory against Fabiano Caruana in round two. In round five, Murzin drew as Black with seasoned heavyweight Levon Aronian, not giving him an inch of advantage throughout the game. “I just play, and I prefer playing against strong players,” Murzin said after the rounds have finished, adding that he hopes to win the tournament. With 4.5 points, Murzin leads the tournament alongside Shant Sargsyan, Leinier Dominguez Perez, and Daniel Naroditsky (who is also a chess commentator for the New York Times; pictured below). Top chess streamer and blitz specialist Hikaru Nakamura finished on four points, joining a large group of contenders that includes, among others, Anish Giri, Levon Aronian, Arjun Erigaisi, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Defending his fifth Rapid World Championship title, Magnus Carlsen struggled on day one. After a surprising round-one draw as White against Awonder Liang, he secured a comfortable win in round two against Montenegro’s Denis Kadric. However, subsequent games proved challenging. He narrowly escaped a loss to Hungary’s Gleb Dudin, 400 points lower-rated, and drew as White. Reflecting on the game, Carlsen admitted to Norwegian broadcaster NRK: “A very, very poor performance… It was bad.” This turned out to sum up his day: in round four he drew with Aleksandr Shimanov despite having a sizable advantage at some point. In the final game of the day, Carlsen misplayed as Black against Denis Lazavik, rated 300 points lower. The Norwegian had to give up his queen for a knight and a rook, hoping for a miracle, which did not come. But Carlsen is no stranger to a slow start. As Vishy Anand noted – the Norwegian has the greatest consistency in making good moves, and he improves as the tournament progresses. Standings after Round 5 Women’s Rapid: 15-year-old Alice Lee stuns the competition The leader of the Women’s World Rapid was decided in a dramatic duel for first place, in the final, fourth round of the day. Alice Lee (15; pictured below), the youngest American woman player to attain the title of International Master and the winner of the 2024 Women’s American Cup, is in sole first place. In round four, she defeated Valentina Gunina – the 2012 and 2023 Women’s World Blitz Champion – in a dramatic game. In the fifth round, she will be facing World Champion in classical chess, Ju Wenjun, who leads a group of five players on 3.5 points. Gunina, who had won her first three games, got off to a good start in the leaders’ clash, achieving a notable advantage against Alice Lee. However, in a tense middlegame, she allowed her opponent to retake the initiative and ultimately secure victory. After day one, she is on three points, together with former Women’s World Champions Alexandra Kosteniuk and Anna Muzychuk. Among the other top contenders, second-ranked Lei Tingjie (pictured below, right) is on 2.5 points, together with the heavyweights Zhu Chen, Humpy Koneru and Mariya Muzychuk. Anastasia Bodnaruk, who won the 2023 Women’s Rapid, is on 50%, having suffered a notable round two loss to former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi. Standings after Round 4 The World Rapid and Blitz continue with the action on Friday, with the games in the Open starting at 2PM ET, and at 2:15 PM in the Women’s tournament. Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Lennart Ootes and Michal Walusza All the information about the event, including results, news, images and regulations are available on the official event webpage: worldrapidandblitz.fide.com The full schedule of the event is available here: Schedule – 2024 FIDE World Rapid and
Chess in New York: A walk through parks, clubs and history
New York City is a universe unto itself: everything and nothing. The flashiest, shiniest city on the planet, an iconic symbol of America, yet lacking the historic relics of its global peers. In this melting pot of skyscrapers, cultures, and burning and burnt-out ambitions, chess thrives in its most electric forms—from bookshops and cafés to hustlers in the parks. During my visit to New York earlier this year, while waiting at passport control at JFK airport, I noticed one of the officers briefly checking a chess game on his phone. We started chatting, and he told me that chess is very popular in New York and to make sure I visit the Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, where hustlers play every day. Not long after my arrival, I met up with Larry List – a curator and expert on chess art with whom I’ve been exchanging emails over the years and who published some of his work in the British Chess Magazine. Larry took me to MOMA first, to show me several artworks related to chess, most notably Man Ray’s Silver Chess Set and the Chess Table he created in collaboration with French designer Jean-Michel Frank. MOMA houses several notable artworks related to chess, including Josef Hartwig’s Bauhaus minimalist chess set, Marcel Duchamp’s “Chess Players” etching, as well as Yoko Ono’s White Chess Set. Artworks related to chess are also featured in the Guggenheim Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). Man Ray’s Silver Chess Set, designed in 1926 for the Maharaja of Indore, and his Chess Table he created in collaboration with the French designer Jean-Michel Frank From MOMA, we continued to Washington Square, where people from all walks of life play, and some even teach chess. This is “the hustler’s hunting ground,” as one friend told me. For me, the fascinating fact was that this was the place where Stanley Kubrick played chess as a hustler, supporting himself as a student. In the vibrant cacophony of New York City’s parks, chess hustlers have long been a captivating presence, engaging passersby and offering a window into a different side of the city—one built on the 64 squares of the chessboard. Among these figures, perhaps the best-known is Asa Hoffmann. A quintessential chess hustler, Hoffmann chronicled his remarkable journey in the acclaimed book The Last Gamesman: My Sixty Years of Hustling Games in the Clubs, Parks, and Streets of New York. In it, Hoffman paints a vivid picture of chess and life in the bustling heart of New York City. There in the park, I watched a hustler play a match against a tourist who seemed to know his way around the board, much to the irritation of his host. “Ten dollars a game, five if it’s a draw” I heard the hustler say. The Washington Square Arch, located in New York City’s Greenwich Village As we continue walking through the park, we pass by the Washington Arch which commemorates the centennial of George Washington’s inauguration in 1789 and whose construction was supported by the Freemasons. In 1917, after a jolly night of drink, Marcel Duchamp and several other artists climbed the memorial and – allegedly declared the “Free and Independent Republic of Washington Square”, as a form of protest against the establishment. Duchamp moved to New York in 1915, which marked a period of his life where his focus gradually shifted from art to playing chess, a passion he shared with his pal Man Ray. He lived close to the park and was a member of the Marshall Chess Cub. Just as we were about to exit the park, I saw another set of benches and tables with people playing chess. I sat across a man in his 20s who immediately offered to give me lessons. After beating him in a game, he retracted the offer, but I still wanted to pay. “But you won,” he protested. I confessed that it was a miracle that I beat anyone having not touched a chess piece for years and said that he did give me a valuable lesson – about picking up loved habits left behind (not that I followed through on this). Playing the chess hustlers in Washington Square He didn’t know much about chess history, save about Bobby Fischer, nor did he seem to follow the current events in chess, but he seemed to know about how the game is developing in his city. “The chess scene in New York is really vibrant. It’s becoming more popular with children and we often have them coming here with parents who want to see if their kid has talent. I play a bit and teach and it helps me with my studies… Chess has really picked up since COVID and the Queen’s Gambit series,” he tells me. Indeed, in places like Bryant Park or the well-known Chess Forum café (which was established in 1995 and sells chess sets, books and memorabilia, plus offering people an opportunity to play), it’s common to see people of different ages enjoying the game. The inside of the famous Chess Forum café, a hub for chess lovers and newcomers to the game Walking past the busy streets lined up with cafés and bars, I was under the impression that chess is also “in” with the hipster community in New York’s Greenwich Village. The person behind the counter of the Chess Forum café also confirmed this. While we were talking – with the pictures of Sting and Robin Williams playing chess hung close to one another – I noticed a couple in their 20s walk in. They paid around five dollars to play for an hour. Behind them were two, it would seem, seasoned players who looked like characters from Stefan Zweig’s novels. Their game was terrible and their attitude towards outsiders was even worse. As I passed by their table to check out the game, they gave me an irritated, almost angry look. You could tell they were really focused on the