The chess community is no stranger to its share of drama and spectacle. It has become increasingly common for top grandmasters to publicly accuse one another of cheating, often without any substantiating evidence. Recently, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen added a new twist to this narrative. The Norwegian player was disqualified from the ongoing World Rapid and Blitz Championships for wearing jeans, which contravened FIDE’s dress code.

Initially, Carlsen was fined $200 and subsequently instructed to change into formal attire immediately, a request he declined. He stated that he had agreed to wear formal clothing starting Saturday but was unable to comply at that moment. As a result, Carlsen was not assigned a pairing for Round 9, leading FIDE to disqualify him, emphasizing that the rules are applicable to all competitors.Since then, the FIDE chief has also taken to X and told fans that Carlsen hasn’t been banned from the tournament, and can re-join the action the next day.

Indirect dig thrown at an American grandmaster?

Reacting to the incident, outspoken chess legend and reigning world champion D Gukesh’s former teacher Vladimir Kramnik took an indirect dig at another grandmaster and predicted that another fiasco would happen in New York. “Something is telling me the second act will happen. Time for another player to appear on stage?,” he wrote.

The grandmaster in question is Hikaru Nakamura, an American player. There exists a notable history between Kramnik and the 37-year-old. The use of the popcorn emoji in the tweet further indicates Nakamura's prominence as a Twitch streamer. Kramnik has repeatedly accused the current World No. 3 of cheating, supporting his claims with evidence. Additionally, Nakamura maintains a close friendship with Carlsen and plays a significant role in the Freestyle Chess Players Club, which has recently gained official recognition from FIDE.

Upon the announcement of the agreement, Kramnik took to X to allege that Carlsen and Nakamura were attempting to blackmail FIDE into compliance, threatening to withdraw from the year-end Rapid and Blitz Championship if their demands were not met.

Kramnik also has a history as a mentor to Gukesh. The former world champion coached 14 young Indian chess players, including Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa, during a 10-day training camp held in Chennai in 2020.

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