The Controversy Continues
FIDE Dress Code: The Double Standards Game
They could both pass as fashion models! Grandmasters Anton Kovalyov (l) and Magnus Carlsen (r). Kovalyov looks as though he is heading to the beach. Carlsen looks as though he is heading to the track. Or perhaps they are both walking down the catwalk in a glitzy Paris fashion show…
But is their attire appropriate for a chess tournament? FIDE has such regulations. According to the official FIDE dress code rules, to be a bit of a nit-picker, Carlsen’s shorts are not quite as acceptable as Kovalyov’s bermudas at a tournament…
But what happens in reality?
Anton Kovalyov got bullied and called racist names for dressing as he was. (He immediately quit the tournament and left the country within a couple of hours of being aggressively confronted by Azmaiparashvili)
Carlsen did not even get a warning from the Chief Arbiter yesterday at the European Club Cup in Greece. Could it be because he is the World Champion? Or is it because of double standards by the arbiters when applying FIDE’s own rules and regulations?
Post Script
Today, Monday, the farce continues. Inaction and/or public platitudes by officials (including Azmaiparashvili) while Carlsen continued to ‘violate’ the dress code again in round 3 for all to see. LINK
That being said, I applaud Carlsen’s flaunting the dress code. Anything to bring into the open the absolute hypocrisy of FIDE’s rules and the arbiters’ selective use of these same rules. Bravo! (Maybe he will show up semi-nude in round 4!?)