Viswanathan Anand on the Magnus Carlsen incident: “He simply refused to follow rules, left us little choice” | Chess News

“He simply refused to follow the rules and left us little choice,” Anand told Chessbase India. “Today this decision seemed emotional. Magnus wasn’t willing to compromise.”

Anand added: “Obviously this wasn’t a step we wanted to take. We offered Magnus several options. The referee said it would be okay if Magnus changed his jeans before the ninth round. But Magnus said he wouldn’t do it on principle. He himself stated that for him it was a question of principle. The referee simply applied the rules and we supported that.”

Anand said that although he did not speak to Carlsen personally after the incident, he asked world No. 1’s father Henrik if there was any further clarification.

“He stated that they would not admit. So I left,” said Anand.

The five-time world champion added: “Every other player follows the rules. Ian Nepomniachtchi was asked to change and he did. That’s why he was able to continue. The fact that Magnus simply refused to comply left us with no other choice.”