Pakistan Forfeits Chess Match Against Israel at Olympiad

The Israeli chess team received a technical 4-0 victory at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after the Pakistani national team deliberately failed to appear for their scheduled match on Wednesday. Pakistan does not recognize Israel and refuses to engage in official, economic, or diplomatic relations, extending this policy to the chess board.

This was the only match across both the men's and women's tournaments that did not take place. The Olympiad features 208 teams in the men's competition and 191 in the women's. Pakistan is expected to face disciplinary action from the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for its no-show, a situation reminiscent of previous instances where national teams have refused to compete against Israel.

An analogous event occurred at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, where Iran's women's team forfeited a match against Israel, resulting in a 4-0 technical win for Israel. FIDE's ethics and disciplinary committee subsequently fined the Iranian Chess Federation 25,000 euros for violating competition rules.

The Israeli men's team at this Olympiad includes Grandmasters Maxim Rodshtein, Avital Boruchovsky, Ido Gurevich, Yahli Sokolovsky, and Ilia Smirin. Meanwhile, in the Chess Olympiad for the Disabled, also in Samarkand, Israel defeated Bangladesh after the Bangladeshi team did appear for their match.

Concurrently, while Pakistan boycotts Israel, the Israeli Chess Association, the Ministry of Culture and Sport, and the Jerusalem Municipality are promoting the Jerusalem Open Chess Championship, which has attracted hundreds of players from 30 countries. Israel actively invites chess players from all nations to participate, advocating for the separation of politics from sports.

The Israeli women's team, comprising Marcel Afekimsky, Noga Orian, Masha Klinova, Olga Gutmakher, and Victoria Chernyak, began their Olympiad campaign with a decisive 4-0 victory over Mozambique.

Dr. Tzvi Barkai, Chairman of the Israeli Chess Association, expressed regret over the forfeited match, stating, "The Israeli teams came to the Olympiad in Samarkand to compete on the board and represent Israel with honor. We regret that the match against Pakistan did not take place; for us, chess and sports should remain above all else. We will continue to show up for every match, compete, and provide our players with the best conditions to succeed on the board, and we expect other countries to respect that." Gil Borochovsky, CEO of the Israeli Chess Association, added, "We are coming to this Olympiad with strong teams and great pride in representing Israel on the international stage. Even when circumstances create an event like today's, our path is clear: to move forward, focus on chess and sports, not involve politics, compete in every match, and showcase the level and character of Israeli chess."