In response to Kazarian’s situation, Pavel Tregubov, FIDE’s technical delegate at the tournament, shared with The New York Times: “I understand her perspective.” Tregubov also mentioned that FIDE is committed to refining their dress code to provide a clearer definition of sports shoes for future tournaments.
Additionally, Tregubov explained that the yellow warning slips were a new enforcement procedure for the dress code. Several slips were issued during the tournament, all relating to sporty shoes as determined by the arbiters. Tregubov noted that the other players accepted their warnings, with Kazarian being the only one to contest the ruling.
Kazarian, who began playing chess at the age of six, achieved the title of 2020 Dutch Women’s Internet Chess champion. She also holds the titles of FIDE Master and Women International Master, which she earned in 2015 and 2017, respectively.