These are some of MY personal code of conducts as a chess professional, grandmaster, World and Olympic Champion, promoter and ambassador:
1. Proper dress code – I would not wear shorts, jeans, T-shirt, sweat pants or sweatshirt to chess events or when I represent my sport in other events.
2. Proper dealing with the media – I always go out of my way to accommodate the chess and mainstream media. I learn to speak clearly, concisely, logically and properly. I always try to improve in this area.
3. Proper dealing with the chess fans – I always give as much time as possible to the chess fans, talking to them, giving autographs, posing for pictures, etc. I always do my best to be polite and courteous to everyone.
4. Proper respect to the game – Win, lose or draw, I try to give my all and fight hard. I also give the proper respect to my opponent, regardless of his or her rating. Win with grace and lose with dignity.
5. Proper respect to the organizers and sponsors – I always make sure to repeatedly thank the organizers and sponsors as well as getting them as much publicity as possible. I want to give the sponsors and organizers reasons to support chess again. Attacking sponsors and organizers is simply unacceptable.
These are just some of the things that I believe in and live by. It is not up to me to advocate or enforce it. It is up to individual chess players. But if professional players cannot conduct themselves properly and professionally, how can they expect to get sponsorship or endorsement?
What do you think? What do YOU expect from chess professionals?
I think your code of conducts should be inherited by FIDE …..that’s what I think. You are right Susan these short draws should be made felt in the pocketbook of these players.
I agree with your rules, except the dress code. It doesn’t bother me when someone wears jeans or shorts. It’s the game that matters.
i agree with dress code …….otherwise someone at some point in time will dress down to make a mockery of someone or something and stir controversy or distractive gestures towards the opponent. The idea of “professionalism” is well-known by Susan and she is 10 times more professional than most of these people. Garry Kasparov would feel the same way I am sure.
oh Grischuk……plz get a haircut and shave…..lol just a suggestion
Although I am new to the chess world and don’t know that much about you, from what I’ve seen on your blogs I think that you are top notch in everything you do. You are a refreshing site in the way you conduct yourself. Don’t ever stop!!!
I think the code of conduct is important for you as professionals, and the dress code could be adopted by some of us non-professional players.
I dressed up for the HB Tournament last year, and I felt that was important as a member of this sport.
Amen
I agree on all points only I would allow some leeway on the dress code. Jeans might be ok for some tournaments or for some portions of them. Quick draws have to go. Sponsors should be attended too as well as fans.
well right now I think each person is allowed pretty much to live by his own personal code of conduct.
I think Susan is saying this is her personal code for her. I do not think she is saying anyone else needs to live by the same code as she chooses. and that is good. I dont think we need to impose our own code of conduct on other people. that to me is not appropriate.
However, we show by example. so if Susan lives by her code and does well then others will decide to adopt the same code. but it should not be imposed on them.
Agree with all except the dress code. Actually I do not disagree with anything as these are your code of conduct and you should be allowed to whatever makes you happy 🙂
However, I do not understand why dressing down is regarded disrespectful. It is more disrespectful when you deny the other person to be comfortable in whatever clothes they prefer.
Great post!
1. Agree with your code!
2. As for the clothing issue – the point isn’t about comfort but that you are trying to take the time to present a certain look. You are not showing as if you were in your comfy pajamas about to watch a video and eat a bowel of popcorn. This shows a respect for the event, your opponent and the game. If we ever get to the point where there is a lot sponsorship, it may not be odd to see players wear clothing with endorsements on it like so many other sports (like motorsports where the outfits are walking billboards) – for the commentators who feel that anyone should be able to wear anything – that may be true for the amateurs – but for the professionals, it is a reflection that they do care about their image. The basketball great Michael Jordan always made it a point of dressing up in a suit even if he was just going and coming from the hotel to the arena and to conduct the postgame interviews dressed formally. When asked why, he noted that he was aware that he had a public identity and that for some people “that would be the only time some people would see him” and he wanted to make a good impression.
Thinking about it…many people don´t respect the game. I am just an amateur,but i fight hard every game,many of my games are victories and no lost games because winning or losing i try to do my best.When the games finish many people never analise but analising with my opponents i found new ideas and sometimes new friends.Many masters NEVER do it(both),think about it…
I agree on all points except the dresscode. Personally i hate wearing a suit or any clothes that “the major public” see as proper. I think chessplayers in a suit look ridicules! you might say it signals proffesionalism, but i think it signals to much seriousness in chess. ok, chess has become a profession, but dont forget that we all started cause its fun. a relaxed clothing style keeps the “vibe” more relaxed. i would support a ban of suits. if someone wanna dress like a clown, why not. give us all a laugh. if someone takes offence of that, the problemr lies not with the clown, but in the person who dont have any humor.. ..just my 2 cent..
Susan,
You are always the epitome class and grace. Not to mention the fact that you are also an impeccable dresser. If only you were the president of FIDE. ; )
It is easy for a woman to find a nice dress that is appropriate for a hot sultry day. For a man, there is nothing other than a pair of shorts and a T-shirt or a short-sleeve shirt, and sandals. Unless you want to promote global warming by excessive air conditioning, the wearing of temperature-appropriate clothing needs to encouraged.
You sound like an idiot. It’s people like you who make chess players look bad. If you want to wear shorts, don’t embarrass us by showing up to chess tournaments.
Susan,
Your standards are not the standards, and you know it. You are not only a high class chess player, but also a high class human being. That is probably more rare than an excellent chess player.
———————–
One item I would like to mention however, and that is the dresscode.
There are some people who are more sensitive to the temperature than others. I know that, because I am one of them. Even the average temperature is a little too warm for me, but if there is warm in a room, I can’t concentrate, and almost actively “suffer”. When I lived back in Hungary, I also played some bridge too. The Kőris Utca club was the high level bridge meeting place. Not having A/C those days in Hungary, the temperature was unbearable at times. Even in a short sleave shirt, I had a difficult time to tolerate it. If I had to properly dress up I could not play there at all. I imagine that there are others like me, who couldn’t concentrate playing chess, properly dressed.
Gabor
She’s talking about chess professionals. She’s not talking about weekend players.
Susan for FIDE president!
Maybe you could start with USCF presidency bid first?
Rdds M.
Men’s suits need to be dry-cleaned, and dry-cleaning damages the atmosphere, whereas you can throw jeans and T-shirts into the washing machine. So men can make their contribution to saving the planet by not wearing a suit.
Yes, wear t-shirts and shorts. Oh and sandals with white socks. I agree. Style in dressing is not for everyone. It’s only for those who can appreciate it.
There’s three kind of people in chess….
1. The ones who dress well,
2. the ones who dress like idiots
3. and the idiots.
No offense intended.
Susan – It all depends upon an individual’s vision for the game of chess. Thanking sponsors makes sense for everyone who plays in any type of event. But the other things you suggest, including dress code, only apply to those who believe that the game can be promoted much better as both a significant cultural and as a professional sporting activity. Unfortunately many people, even many so called chess professionals, do not have such a vision.
“You sound like an idiot. It’s people like you who make chess players look bad.” Calling me an idiot is not very helpful. I was not saying that I would turn up in shorts at a chess tournament. But there are plenty of things wrong with men’s dress code. Imagine a hot day in New York City. Thousands of businesses are air conditioned so men feel compfortable wearing a suit and tie. My apartment building has a warning not to use the air conditioning to avoid electricity blackouts. Some subway lines to Queens are not operating, to save electricity, thereby adding hours to some people’s commuting time. And then I go to Starbucks, and I have to wear two sweaters so as not to freeze to death because of air conditioning.
By the way, this is not hypothetical, this was indeed how things were on a number of days last summer.
Who’s talking about you? Susan was talking about professional players like the players in Moscow who were paid $100,000 + all expenses. It’s November and it’s cold in Moscow. Not everything is about you.
Susan, a question for you. What is it that sponsors get out of a tournament? Is it an advertisement forum for them? How large an audience do they reach? What is their ROI?
The reason I’m asking these questions is because that obviously has to figure into the dress code.
Personally, I think it’s the quality of the game that counts. You want a professional look, sure, but it should not distract you from the warrior-task at hand.
Come to think of it, sponsors might get more out of a tournament if players play aggressively, e.g., unexpected exchange sacs, where they consistently come out ahead (similar to Kasparov as opposed to Topalov).
It will also be nice if players themselves publish their analysis within a short period.
The sponsors do not care about the quality of the games. Most big sponsors are not chess companies or chess people. They want the event to be a big hit. They want recognition through big time publicity.
Let’s say if I go to the Global Leadership Summit in the past few days meeting some of the most powerful and influential people in the world in jeans and T-shirt, what would they think about the chess industry?
I spoke to a few CEOs, Presidents and VPs of multibillion dollar corporations. They like what they heard and they like what they see.
If the top level players do not respect this sport then don’t complain why they’re getting paid peanuts. Some even have a problem being nice to the fans.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
Of the the 5 rules listed, I agree completely only with rule 4. The other rules are nice to follow but if taken to extreme, they will hurt chess rather than help it. As a chess fan, if Paul Morphy appeared from somewhere dressed in smelly rags, I would not hesitate to watch him play, even if I had to put on a gas mask to be close to him. I would admire him nonetheless.
Suppose the following chess event: All players appear perfectly clad with Gucci and Armani suits. They wear also glib smiles and are extremely courteous with organisers and chess fans. There is an autograph session in which they talk sweet talk with fans, sponsors, organisers, praising everyone for their efforts, voicing their opinion how important is chess, and thanking everybody generally. Then they sit at the tables and finish all their games 1/2 after the 5th move. Such fun, such a great day for chess … ;-(
“Let’s say if I go to the Global Leadership Summit in the past few days meeting some of the most powerful and influential people in the world in jeans and T-shirt, what would they think about the chess industry?”
Agree with you 100%.
People like other people who are similar to themselves, so if you meet a sponsor, you need the same dress code as the sponsor.
Being nice is also a given. Isn’t it wierd how so many people don’t get it?
Why do you need the same dress code for the game though? How about color codes and jerseys similar to basketball? 🙂
One thing that is definitely archaic is the national flag next to each player. It should go.
No matter what you do and were you go you behave and dress to suit the occasion….it’s very simple Susan is right.
Susan has posted some great photos of all kinds of situations and the “dags” always stand out and look out of place
All professional chessplayers should wear the same outfit. They should all dress like Japanese schoolgirls. Considering the popularity of all things Japanese, this is sure to bring in more sponsors.
A 10-moves draw don’t look better just because they’re wearing some nice clothes!
It’s sad if the clothes are more important for sponsors than the game.
Arlauk
i think it is ok for women chess players to dress sexy to promote the sport
concerning dress code:
professionals dressed in suits and wearing ties is a sure way of keeping the kids away from chess. The majority of young people doent admire or even respect guys who look like bank or insurance employees. They choose men or women who look individualistic and bohemian as their heroes.
About the dress code. I think you are hot and should appear in “Dancing With the Stars”
hehe nice thread. ill go buy myself a japaneese schoolgirl dress right away! but seriously, it wouldnt call it wise to judge another person soly by his apparance. one thing ive allways liked about chess players, is that there are so many different types of “strange” people from so many strangee backgrounds that are all attrackted to this game. what do we really want to promote in chess? surely chess is more than million $ tournaments? “promoting chess”, what do we really mean by that? ..
Btw, Susan, Ravi Shankar appeared at this forum, dressed in something resembling a bedsheet as evidenced by your picture together in this blog. But he is still His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and nobody denies this.