Answers.Body: <blockquote>
  <p>would it in theory be possible to claim a distraction?</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>Of course you can claim whatever you like however your claim will be dismissed if it is just the colour scheme of your opponent's clothes. To count as &quot;distracting&quot; they would either have to depict nudity, semi-nudity or expose flesh in a way that would be considered distracting.</p>
  <p>FIDE <em>does</em> have a <a href="https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2013/FIDE/Proposal_of_Ms._B._Marinello_in_respect_of_the_dress_code.pdf" rel="noreferrer">dress code for FIDE events</a>. These events include Olympiads, World Championships, Candidates, qualifiers, etc. They do not include lower level FIDE rated events although arbiters and organisers are likely to use them anyway as guidelines.</p>
  <p>Here is an extract from the above linked document -</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p><strong>3. Dress Code for players during games in progress</strong>.<br />
  <strong>3.a. The following is acceptable for men players, captains, head of delegation</strong>.<br />
  Suits, ties, dressy pants, trousers, jeans, long-sleeve or shirt-sleeve dress
  shirt, dress shirt, alternatively T-shirts or polo, dress shoes, loafers or
  dressy slip-ons, socks, shoes or sneakers, sport coat, blazer,, Bermuda
  shorts, turtleneck, jacket, vest or sweater. Team uniforms and
  national costumes clothing.<br />
  <strong>3.b. The following is NOT acceptable for men players, captains, head of
  delegation</strong>.<br />
  Beach-wear slips, profanity and nude or semi-nude
  pictures printed on shirts, torn pants or jeans. holes, denim shorts,
  short-shorts, cut-off shorts, gym shorts, unclean clothing, sun glasses,
  sport caps.<br />
  <strong>3.c. The following is acceptable for women players</strong><br />
  Women's suits, dresses. skirts, blouses, turtleneck, T-shirts or poloʼs,
  trousers, jeans or slacks, footwear (boots, flats, mid-heel or high-
  heel shoes, sneakers with sock), jacket, vest or sweater, a scarf, as
  well as jewelry (earrings, necklace, etc.) coordinated to the outfit
  may be worn. Team uniforms, national costumes clothing.<br />
  <strong>3.d. The following is NOT acceptable for women players</strong><br />
  Beach-wear slips, profanity and nude or semi-nude
  pictures printed on shirts, torn pants or jeans. holes, noticeable
  unclean clothing, sun glasses, sport caps. Revealing attire. Clothes
  such as denim shorts, short-shorts, cut-off shorts, gym shorts, crop
  tops, tank tops, and clothes made of see-through materials or
  clothes that expose areas of the body usually covered in the location
  where the event is taking place.</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>Note that team uniforms and national costumes are explicitly allowed. Hence the Angolan brightly coloured uniforms are explicitly allowed.</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>what would happen to the opponent if he had no clothes to change?</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>The player with the offending clothing would have to either go back to their hotel and change or go out and buy suitable clothes. This has <a href="https://www.chess.com/news/view/dress-code-incident-at-world-cup-kovalyov-forfeits" rel="noreferrer">happened in a World Cup</a> to an over-casually dressed Canadian player and the player ended up flying home early.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-30T14:53:02.450Z
Answers.Text: OK, so wearing extremely ostentatious clothes (colours/patterns) does not count as a distraction, but can lead to the dress code being violated, if there is one. That's interesting.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Hauptideal
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-30T21:03:57.017Z
Answers.Text: So you could show up in a white tuxedo and top hat if you wanted to? Or a princess gown?
Answers.UserDisplayName: DKNguyen
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-31T05:51:43.683Z
Answers.Text: Whoever makes these FIDE rules, someone should tell them that some people wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the harsh glare of intense lighting. And indeed some people need telling that intense lighting hurts people's eyes.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Rosie F
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-31T07:20:48.250Z
Answers.Text: @RosieF - Indeed. And while they are at it, someone should tell the FIDE people that we are in the 21st century, in which separate dress codes for male and female players look outdated, and in which (presumably) not only men can be heads of delegation or captains. And indeed, where more genders than just female and male are recognized.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Obie 2.0
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-31T10:21:15.107Z
Answers.Text: @Obie2.0 I think that these are not really separate dress codes and gender does not matter. As a man, you would also not be allowed to wear what is disallowed for women and vice versa. See it more like a convenience feature, as most people identify as one of these genders and will find acceptable clothes more easily. Others would just read both sections. Gender politics should not be overdone, especially not in this forum.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Hauptideal
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-31T10:28:49.063Z
Answers.Text: Well, ah, they wrote out one list for women and another for men, which differ in several details. So, yes, they are separate dress codes. As for gender politics, FIDE is already getting into that by having dress codes divided by gender (let alone stipulating that women—and not men—should not wear clothing that reveals parts of the body that are usually covered in the region in which an event takes place). I am just commenting on *their* gender politics.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Obie 2.0
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-31T15:04:08.440Z
Answers.Text: I now want to know whether men are allowed to wear skirts.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Carsten S
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-31T16:42:20.597Z
Answers.Text: @CarstenS If they form part of a national dress then obviously yes. For instance if the Scottish team chose to wear kilts I'm sure that would be allowed. Remember also that these rules are only for select top ranked FIDE events. They do not apply for lower level events. There is a well known male English IM who identifies as non-binary who occasionally plays in a dress in the British Championships. Nobody bats an eye.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Brian Towers
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Answers.CreationDate: 2022-07-30T14:13:05.860Z
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Brian Towers
Body: <p>Yesterday, I was in a clothes shop and saw shirts that had wild patterns with screamingly bold colours.
  The same day, I saw this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/chess/photos/a.395509529570/10160349828169571/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">picture from the Angolan Chess Olympiad team</a>, whose shirts reminded me of those I had seen earlier that day.
  I wondered whether it could be considered a distraction if they had the same flashy colours as the shirts I had seen earlier.</p>
  <p>If the colours are so flashy, that it's hard to ignore them and the patterns make you dizzy when seeing them (maybe from the corner of your eyes), would it in theory be possible to claim a distraction?
  What would you do, and what would happen to the opponent if he had no clothes to change?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-07-30T18:17:35.387Z
Comments.Text: reminds me of Rapport made a minor splash during the candidates with his bold pink suit
Comments.UserDisplayName: qwr
Tags: <rules><fide>
Title: Rules: Distracting the opponent using flashy clothes?
ThreadText: # Rules: Distracting the opponent using flashy clothes?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-30)
  
  Yesterday, I was in a clothes shop and saw shirts that had wild patterns with screamingly bold colours.
  The same day, I saw this [picture from the Angolan Chess Olympiad team](https://www.facebook.com/chess/photos/a.395509529570/10160349828169571/), whose shirts reminded me of those I had seen earlier that day.
  I wondered whether it could be considered a distraction if they had the same flashy colours as the shirts I had seen earlier.
  
  If the colours are so flashy, that it's hard to ignore them and the patterns make you dizzy when seeing them (maybe from the corner of your eyes), would it in theory be possible to claim a distraction?
  What would you do, and what would happen to the opponent if he had no clothes to change?
  
  **Tags:** rules, fide
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: reminds me of Rapport made a minor splash during the candidates with his bold pink suit  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2022-07-30. Score: 7 | Accepted answer
  
  > would it in theory be possible to claim a distraction?
  
  Of course you can claim whatever you like however your claim will be dismissed if it is just the colour scheme of your opponent's clothes. To count as "distracting" they would either have to depict nudity, semi-nudity or expose flesh in a way that would be considered distracting.
  
  FIDE *does* have a [dress code for FIDE events](https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2013/FIDE/Proposal_of_Ms._B._Marinello_in_respect_of_the_dress_code.pdf). These events include Olympiads, World Championships, Candidates, qualifiers, etc. They do not include lower level FIDE rated events although arbiters and organisers are likely to use them anyway as guidelines.
  
  Here is an extract from the above linked document -
  
  > **3. Dress Code for players during games in progress**.  
  > **3.a. The following is acceptable for men players, captains, head of delegation**.  
  > Suits, ties, dressy pants, trousers, jeans, long-sleeve or shirt-sleeve dress
  > shirt, dress shirt, alternatively T-shirts or polo, dress shoes, loafers or
  > dressy slip-ons, socks, shoes or sneakers, sport coat, blazer,, Bermuda
  > shorts, turtleneck, jacket, vest or sweater. Team uniforms and
  > national costumes clothing.  
  > **3.b. The following is NOT acceptable for men players, captains, head of
  > delegation**.  
  > Beach-wear slips, profanity and nude or semi-nude
  > pictures printed on shirts, torn pants or jeans. holes, denim shorts,
  > short-shorts, cut-off shorts, gym shorts, unclean clothing, sun glasses,
  > sport caps.  
  > **3.c. The following is acceptable for women players**  
  > Women's suits, dresses. skirts, blouses, turtleneck, T-shirts or poloʼs,
  > trousers, jeans or slacks, footwear (boots, flats, mid-heel or high-
  > heel shoes, sneakers with sock), jacket, vest or sweater, a scarf, as
  > well as jewelry (earrings, necklace, etc.) coordinated to the outfit
  > may be worn. Team uniforms, national costumes clothing.  
  > **3.d. The following is NOT acceptable for women players**  
  > Beach-wear slips, profanity and nude or semi-nude
  > pictures printed on shirts, torn pants or jeans. holes, noticeable
  > unclean clothing, sun glasses, sport caps. Revealing attire. Clothes
  > such as denim shorts, short-shorts, cut-off shorts, gym shorts, crop
  > tops, tank tops, and clothes made of see-through materials or
  > clothes that expose areas of the body usually covered in the location
  > where the event is taking place.
  
  Note that team uniforms and national costumes are explicitly allowed. Hence the Angolan brightly coloured uniforms are explicitly allowed.
  
  > what would happen to the opponent if he had no clothes to change?
  
  The player with the offending clothing would have to either go back to their hotel and change or go out and buy suitable clothes. This has [happened in a World Cup](https://www.chess.com/news/view/dress-code-incident-at-world-cup-kovalyov-forfeits) to an over-casually dressed Canadian player and the player ended up flying home early.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: OK, so wearing extremely ostentatious clothes (colours/patterns) does not count as a distraction, but can lead to the dress code being violated, if there is one. That's interesting.  
  > **username_3**: So you could show up in a white tuxedo and top hat if you wanted to? Or a princess gown?  
  > **username_4**: Whoever makes these FIDE rules, someone should tell them that some people wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the harsh glare of intense lighting. And indeed some people need telling that intense lighting hurts people's eyes.  
  > **username_5**: @username_4 - Indeed. And while they are at it, someone should tell the FIDE people that we are in the 21st century, in which separate dress codes for male and female players look outdated, and in which (presumably) not only men can be heads of delegation or captains. And indeed, where more genders than just female and male are recognized.  
  > **username_0**: @username_5 I think that these are not really separate dress codes and gender does not matter. As a man, you would also not be allowed to wear what is disallowed for women and vice versa. See it more like a convenience feature, as most people identify as one of these genders and will find acceptable clothes more easily. Others would just read both sections. Gender politics should not be overdone, especially not in this forum.  
  > **username_5**: Well, ah, they wrote out one list for women and another for men, which differ in several details. So, yes, they are separate dress codes. As for gender politics, FIDE is already getting into that by having dress codes divided by gender (let alone stipulating that women—and not men—should not wear clothing that reveals parts of the body that are usually covered in the region in which an event takes place). I am just commenting on *their* gender politics.  
  > **username_6**: I now want to know whether men are allowed to wear skirts.  
  > **username_2**: @username_6 If they form part of a national dress then obviously yes. For instance if the Scottish team chose to wear kilts I'm sure that would be allowed. Remember also that these rules are only for select top ranked FIDE events. They do not apply for lower level events. There is a well known male English IM who identifies as non-binary who occasionally plays in a dress in the British Championships. Nobody bats an eye.  
  
  ---
  
  