Female Chess Player Fined After Her Burberry Sneakers Were Deemed ‘Sports Shoes’

A 23-year-old chess player was fined and told to change her shoes in the middle of a tournament after the International Chess Federation decided her Burberry sneakers were "sports shoes."

The federation, also known as FIDE, fined Anna-Maja Kazarian 100 euros ($111) for wearing "sports shoes" during the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Uzbekistan, The New York Times reported.

Kazarian was also told to change into more formal shoes in between games. If she did not, it would "result in not being invited in the pairings for the next round," according to the official warning card Kazarian received.

She was wearing $600 plaid canvas Burberry sneakers with white rubber soles.

Kazarian streams matches on Twitch, where she has 34,000 followers. She showed the shoes and discussed the incident on Youtube, where she has 6,900 subscribers.

"I barely ever wear them because they're fancy," she said in the video.

FIDE's dress code for the tournament said participants should "dress to impress."

"It is important to promote a good and positive image of chess," the website said. "Attire worn during all phases of the Championships should be in good taste and appropriate for such a prestigious chess event."

While the website said "sports sneakers" are not acceptable attire for men and women, it never defines the term.

Pavel Tregubov, FIDE's technical delegate at the tournament, said the federation will work on clarifying the meaning of sports shoes for future dress codes.

The warning cards were a new feature at the tournament this year. While several competitors received a card, Kazarian is the only one who objected, Tregubov said.

"All other players accepted it," he added.

Social media users are now criticizing the dress code online, including some who questioned why a male wearing sneakers was shared on FIDE's X page.

"Was he fined? Or do the 'rules' apply only to women?" one user said in a reply to the X post.

Kazarian said the encounter left her stressed and unfocused for the remainder of her games.

"They should adjust the rule so it'll be clearer," she said.

She took a car to the hotel to change her shoes and was able to finish the tournament.

"They acted as if I didn't read the dress code," Kazarian said. "Their attitude toward me just was not friendly."