Israel Chess Teams Forfeit Matches Due to Yom Kippur Conflict

Israel's national chess teams, both men's and women's, suffered technical losses at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after failing to appear for their scheduled matches against the Netherlands and Bulgaria on Monday. The forfeits occurred because the games conflicted with Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. The Israeli Chess Association has accused the International Chess Federation (FIDE) of failing to uphold prior agreements regarding scheduling around the Jewish holiday.

According to the Israeli association, they contacted FIDE in January when it became apparent the tournament schedule would overlap with Yom Kippur. They claim FIDE verbally agreed that games scheduled for the eve of Yom Kippur would be moved to earlier times, and those on the day itself would be postponed until after the holiday concluded. However, this agreement was not formally incorporated into the tournament regulations, leaving the matter dependent on coordination with opposing teams.

While the Israeli teams successfully arranged schedule adjustments with Colombia and Singapore for earlier matches, allowing them to observe the holiday, the Netherlands and Bulgaria did not agree to similar changes. The Israeli association stated that the Dutch team had initially agreed to reschedule, but the change was not approved, while the Bulgarian team outright refused. FIDE subsequently awarded 4-0 technical victories to the opposing teams.

Dr. Tzvi Barkai, chairman of the Israeli Chess Association, expressed strong disappointment with FIDE's conduct, stating, "We are very angry that FIDE did not stand by the commitments it gave." He criticized FIDE for relying on informal discussions with teams rather than formalizing the agreement in the tournament rules. Despite the setbacks, the Israeli association emphasized that their teams had been performing well and were still aiming for a top-15 finish. They are considering further action against FIDE, including seeking compensation for the damage caused to the teams' standing.

The Israeli Chess Association plans to host the Jerusalem Open Championship in November, inviting chess players globally, with an expected participation of around 450 players from dozens of countries.