Israel Chess Teams Forfeit Olympic Matches Due to Yom Kippur Conflict

Israel's national chess teams, both men's and women's, suffered 4-0 technical defeats at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Monday, September 26, 2026. The forfeits occurred because the scheduled matches against the Netherlands (men) and Bulgaria (women) could not be rescheduled to avoid conflict with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. The Israeli Chess Association had secured a written agreement in January with the World Chess Federation (FIDE) to advance games scheduled for the eve of Yom Kippur and postpone those on the day itself. However, this agreement was not formally incorporated into the tournament regulations, leaving the rescheduling dependent on the goodwill of opposing teams.

While Colombia and Singapore had previously shown sportsmanship by agreeing to earlier start times for their matches against Israel, the Dutch and Bulgarian teams refused to accommodate the request. FIDE subsequently awarded technical victories to the Netherlands and Bulgaria, leading to Israel's forfeits. Dr. Tzvika Barkai, Chairman of the Israeli Chess Association, expressed anger at FIDE for failing to uphold its commitment and for not formally codifying the agreement, stating that FIDE's inaction exacerbated the situation.

Gil Borochovsky, CEO of the Israeli Chess Association, confirmed that the Dutch team had initially agreed to a reschedule, but the move was not approved. The Bulgarian team outright refused any change. Borochovsky criticized FIDE for not intervening to mitigate the damage, which he believes will significantly impact Israel's tournament rankings. The Israeli Chess Association is considering legal action and demanding compensation from FIDE for the damages incurred by the teams due to the technical losses.