Response from Chess Arbiter Regarding Alireza’s Allegations About New Shoes at Candidates

Controversy arose at the Candidates chess tournament in Toronto when French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja alleged that an arbiter had interrupted his concentration by asking him to change his footwear.

Despite drawing his Round 9 match against Alireza Firouzja with the black pieces on Sunday, Ian Nepomniachtchi’s concentration was hindered by an arbiter’s “shameful action,”according to the Frenchman.

After the Candidates match, Firouzja took to X to share his thoughts. He disclosed that while he was pacing around during his game, the chief arbiter approached him due to the noise his shoes were making on the wooden floor.

“He instructed me not to walk and to bring new shoes for tomorrow, but I have been wearing the same formal shoes for over a year and they have been approved. This greatly distracted me during the game and caused me to lose my focus,”he explained.

In an interview with Chess.com, Chief Arbiter IA Aris Marghetis refuted the claims and revealed that fellow player Nijat Abasov had made a complaint.

After the round @AlirezaFirouzja wrote about his incident during round 9 of the #FIDECandidates. This is the explanation of Chief Arbiter IA Aris Marghetis to @chesscom pic.twitter.com/EfSWsPcJbc

— Mike Klein (@ChessMike) April 15, 2024

Marghetis noted that Firouzja had been walking within a confined area and the sound of his shoes resembled boots due to his gait. He offered the suggestion of either altering his walking style or wearing different shoes, but did not mention any potential consequences.

Marghetis also disclosed that Firouzja had considered filing an appeal due to feeling “distracted”by the suggestion, but mentioned that his demeanor became much calmer after their conversation. He also clarified that the conversation took place in the middle of the match and that Firouzja was not under any time constraints.

As of now, Alireza has not submitted an appeal and is scheduled to face Fabiano Caruana on Monday, playing with the black pieces.

Controversy surrounding a player’s shoes is not uncommon. At The 2023 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championships, an arbiter requested Anna-Maja Kazarian to switch her Burberry sneakers, echoing a previous incident.