In an interview with ChessBase News, ECU general secretary Sava Stoisavljevic says that “many of the players were not wearing proper clothes” during games. She notes that most other sports have dress codes, so it took little calculating to determine that chess should have one too. “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.” And short skirts might be next to go, though there are currently no restrictions. The new dress code was a response to frequent comments made by spectators and coaches, Stoisavljevic said. Once, when I was working as an arbiter, I warned one player, even though there were no any rules at that time, because she kept coming to the playing hall dressed like someone who was going to the beach. But the code was drafted just in time for the European Women’s Championships in Gaziantep, Turkey, with rather harsh penalties: players who don’t abide by the dress standards could be banned from awards ceremonies. (MORE: A New High For Chess) 
 
 Stoisavljevic says they considered just how many buttons could be undone on a woman’s shirt.
– Maybe this classic Austin Powers scene has affected chess championship rules? Whatever the reason, the European Chess Union has ruled that female players will have to button their shirts from now on, Time reports. "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," says ECU general secretary Sava Stoisavljevic. In an interview with ChessBase.com, Stoisavljevic adds that the union may follow other companies in restricting the shortness of skirts—to two or four inches above the knee, for example: "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."