Dress Code in Chess Tournaments

We all know that this year's Fide World Chess Cup has been marred by controversy regarding the issue of a dress code thoroughly discussed in this video which I would like to share.

Ban on cleavage in chess is the right call - Rebel Media

I agree with the idea that there should be a dress code in chess tournaments. A dress code ensures "appropriateness" in the conduct of the event. The question, however, is how do we determine what is appropriate or not. Try to recall that incident where a twelve-year-old was forced to leave a chess tournament because her attire was considered to be "seductive". 

While chess is a game where there is very less movement between the players, seeing them in action while in their appropriate attire evokes respect and can even affect their success.  I quote the following from the Business Insider on "How Your Clothing Affects Your Success":

"Whether you like it or not, your clothing communicates — and it can have a serious effect on your ability to achieve success.

'Let's be clear: In the big picture of ultimate reality, what you wear neither defines who you are as a person nor determines your value as a human being," says Darlene Price, president of Well Said, Inc., and author of 'Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results.' 'However, in the temporal realm of mere mortals, fair or not, people judge us by the way we look and that includes the way we dress.' Especially in the workplace, clothing significantly influences how others perceive you and how they respond toward you, she says."

In the Philippines, I have observed that in non-master chess tournaments, a dress code is not strictly implemented. I have seen participants in shorts or even in slippers. Perhaps, this is because it is just a non-master chess tournament. In any event, I would like to encourage chess players participating in tournaments to come in their best appropriate attire to give chess itself a better image. There is absolutely no issue that what we wear does not define us as a person. Yet, we have to admit that what we wear has a great impact on how the public sees us as a person and as a chess player. However, the imposition of a dress code in chess tournaments or in any other event must be very clear and consistently enforced. The corresponding penalty for the violation must likewise be categorical without room for any interpretation. Any discretion on the part of the official mandated to enforce the dress code must be reasonable and not discriminatory.