Israel's Chess Teams Forfeit Olympic Matches on Yom Kippur

Israel's national men's and women's chess teams both suffered 4-0 technical defeats at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Monday. The forfeits came against the Netherlands and Bulgaria, respectively, as the Israeli teams chose not to play in observance of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. This decision disregarded an earlier agreement with the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

The Israeli Chess Association stated they had contacted FIDE in January, and the federation had initially committed in writing to rescheduling games. Matches planned for the eve of Yom Kippur were to be moved earlier, and those on the holiday itself were to be postponed. However, this agreement was not formally incorporated into the competition's official regulations.

FIDE left the final decision on rescheduling to the opposing national teams. While Colombia and Singapore agreed to postpone their matches, the Dutch and Bulgarian teams refused. The Israeli association claims the Dutch team initially agreed to a change, but it was not approved, while Bulgaria opposed the rescheduling from the outset.

"We are very angry that the World Federation did not stand by the commitments it gave," said Dr. Tzvi Barkai, Chairman of the Israeli Chess Association, in an interview with Ynet. He criticized FIDE for not codifying the agreement and for failing to adequately address the issue, expressing disappointment with the Netherlands and Bulgaria's responses while commending Singapore and Colombia's sportsmanship.

Gil Borochovsky, CEO of the Israeli Chess Association, told Ynet that FIDE's inaction caused significant damage to Israel's ranking, potentially preventing them from achieving their goal of a 15th-place finish. "We will consider our steps, this will not pass in silence," he stated, indicating the association plans to seek compensation for the losses incurred.