The Dress Code Dilemma

Chess is an international game, and players of different cultures and backgrounds may be following diverse norms. Something that is highly valued in one culture might be viewed differently in another. So here is a question: does chess need a dress code? Magnus Carlsen was fined during the 2024 World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in New York for wearing jeans, and GM Zhu Jiner for wearing white laceless winter boots. Here’s International Arbiter Shohreh Bayat’s take on the subject.