FIDE CEO responds to Magnus Carlsen’s ‘f*** you’ rant: ‘I know no less colourful words than him’ | Chess News
Magnus Carlsen and FIDE came to an amicable resolution to their feud which will see the world no 1 play at the ongoing FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Wall Street in New York. Carlsen was miffed at being fined by FIDE for wearing jeans at the rapid section and then being warned about not being paired if he refused to change into formal trousers.
Carlsen said in an interview with the Take Take Take app after pulling out of the event in New York, “My patience with FIDE was not very big to begin with. I’m too old at this point to care too much. They can enforce their rules. That’s fine by me. My response is, I’m out, f** you. I don’t think anything more has to be said.”
Like Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura had also lashed out at FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky saying: “FIDE wants to have their control. FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky likes that and he wants to say my way or the highway.”
FIDE’s Sutovsky gave his own version of events in an interview after the firefighting was over and Carlsen had been successfully coaxed to play in the World Blitz Championship.
“If the question is how I respond to Magnus’ words, I know no less colourful words than him, trust me. I just feel that things like these cannot be resolved in a way where you start making personal attacks and offences,” Sutovsky said in an interview with Chessbase India.
He added: “Talking about my suitability for my position, my deeds talk more than my words. One can simply compare to how things were six years ago to now… either prize funds, number of tournaments, with quality of tournaments, the organisation of events and their location. Magnus benefits from these events, even if he plays in less and less of these.”
He also spoke about how his role is to raise money for FIDE events as well as oversee their organisation.
“Maybe Magnus is not aware of what I am exactly in charge of. The more important decisions belong to FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich. The other decisions belong to me. The president is known to be a person who always tries to find a diplomatic way to resolve issues. In many cases, that is the only way to go about it. I am much less diplomatic. But the events and funds via partnerships and sponsorship that I deliver won’t be possible through diplomacy alone,” he added.
Carlsen had also taken a jibe at his predecessor Viswanathan Anand, who is currently a deputy president at FIDE, by saying Anand was “not ready for his job”.
“Magnus was unfair on Vishy in his statements. Vishy is the last person who should be attacked. He is a legend who always tries to resolve matters in a fair way.”
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