European Chess Union: Cleavage Has No Place In Our Tournaments

Women who are competing in European Chess Union sanctioned events will have to button up and make sure their shirts are not “cleavage bearing.”

The union this week announced that under league rules cleavage is not allowed to be shown for reasons of distraction and general event appearance.

European Chess Union general secretary Sava Stoisavljevic tells Time:

“Décolletés [the French word for cleavage] are partly covered in our regulations, which state that in respect to shirts the second from the top button may also be opened, in addition to the very top button.”

Stoisavljevic further announced in an interview with ChessBase.com that the European Chess Union could follow other companies in limiting the shortness of skirts. If that rule goes into play skirts will not be allowed to be any shorter than two to four inches above the knee.

As Stoisavljevic points out:

“I can see that there are many players here who wear very short skirts. It’s nice to see chess players with short skirts—they are very pretty girls. But I believe there should still be some limit.”

Compliments aside it’s still unclear how the women of the European Chess Union will respond to the new cleavage rule and possible short skirt ruling.

Here is an excerpt of the current dress code rules:

13.2 Dress rules for the players during the games
In general, players are required to follow the code of casual dressing which means:

• for men dress trousers or jeans, a long-sleeve or shirt-sleeve dress shirt, alternatively T-shirt or polo, loafers or dressy slip-ons, socks, shoes or sneakers (no beach-wear slips, etc.) and, if appropriate, a sport coat or blazer. The trousers, the jeans as well as the shirts and polo’s worn should be crisp and show no excessive wear, no holes and shall be free of body odor.
• for women blouses, turtleneck, T-shirts or polo’s, trousers, jeans or slacks, skirts, dresses, and appropriate footwear (boots, flats, mid-heel or high-heel shoes, sneakers with sock) or any other appropriate clothing modification.
• a jacket, vest or sweater, a scarf, as well as jewelry (earrings, necklace, etc.) coordinated to the outfit may be worn.
• the pieces of the clothing should be crisp, show no excessive wear, no holes and shall be free of body odor.
• in respect to shirts, the second from the top button may also be opened in addition to the very top button.
• sunglasses, glasses, neck ties can be worn during the games, no caps or hats, except for religious reasons.
• in general, this category of appearance demands a pulled-together, harmonious, complete look with colors, fabrics, shoes, and accessories, for both men and women.
• national costumes which fit into the generally accepted dress code and are not offensive or indecent to others can be worn

Do you think the European Chess Union is overstepping it’s bounds or should players adhere to strict dress codes as is the case in various other forms of competition?