Israel Chess Teams Forfeit Matches Due to Yom Kippur, Blame FIDE

The Israeli men's and women's national chess teams were forced to forfeit their sixth-round matches at the Chess Olympiad, receiving double 4-0 technical losses. The forfeits occurred because the matches were scheduled on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. The Israeli Chess Association had reached out to the International Chess Federation (FIDE) six months prior to the event, requesting that matches falling on Yom Kippur be rescheduled. According to Zvika Barkai, chairman of the Israeli Chess Association, FIDE had initially agreed in writing to move the matches to after sunset on Yom Kippur or to the rest day.

However, FIDE did not officially amend the competition rules and instead left the decision to reschedule to the opposing teams. While Singapore's men's team and Colombia's women's team agreed to play their fifth-round matches earlier, the Netherlands' men's team and Bulgaria's women's team refused to postpone their sixth-round games. Under FIDE's regulations, a team can refuse a schedule change, leading to the Dutch and Bulgarian teams being awarded 4-0 victories by default against empty tables.

The Israeli Chess Association expressed anger at FIDE for failing to uphold its commitments and for allowing the technical losses, which they state will significantly impact the teams' rankings. The association indicated they would explore legal actions and seek compensation after the Olympiad concludes.