Israeli Junior Chess Players Face Boycott Attempts at World Championship
Translated & summarized from Walla by baba
Young Israeli chess players at the World Youth Chess Championship in Spain are reportedly facing political pressure and boycott attempts from athletes representing Syria, Lebanon, and Algeria. Some players were allegedly instructed to forfeit matches against Israelis, though not all complied. Incidents include a Syrian player competing against an Israeli despite federation pressure and a Lebanese player forfeiting with a medical certificate. The World Chess Federation's policy since 2018 prohibits arbiters from succumbing to such political pressures.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli junior chess players at a world championship in Spain are facing alleged political boycotts.
- Players from Syria, Lebanon, and Algeria were reportedly instructed to forfeit matches against Israelis.
- A Syrian player competed against an Israeli despite alleged pressure from his national federation.
- A Lebanese player forfeited a match against an Israeli, citing illness and political reasons.
- The World Chess Federation's policy prohibits arbiters from yielding to political pressure in draws.
Political pressure is being exerted on young Israeli chess players participating in the World Youth Chess Championship in Salou, Spain, with some athletes from Arab nations reportedly instructed to forfeit matches against Israelis. The tournament, which includes players aged 7 to 17, has seen instances where Syrian, Lebanese, and Algerian players were allegedly told to accept technical losses if drawn against Israeli opponents.
One notable case involved 7-year-old Syrian player Talab Rami, who arrived late due to visa issues and forfeited his first two rounds. He later proceeded to win several matches, including one against Israeli player Michael Dorfman in the fifth round. The Syrian Chess Federation reportedly attempted to prevent this game, but Chief Arbiter Panagiotis Nikolopoulos refused to intervene, stating he could not stop players who wished to compete.
Rami told the Spanish newspaper El País that he was unaware of his federation's directive at the time of the match. He admitted that while he generally dislikes politics in sports and lives in the UK, he would have found it difficult to decide whether to play if he had known about the instruction, considering it was a World Championship with much at stake.
Another incident involved Lebanese player Majd Kafarny, under 11, who did not show up for his seventh-round match against an Israeli opponent, presenting a medical certificate. The competition doctor, Everardo Ricardo, confirmed signing the certificate after being told the child had vomited overnight but could not verify the claim.
The head of the Lebanese delegation, Mohamed Al-Habash, attributed the players' reluctance to the security situation in their region, mentioning that children have relatives killed in Israeli attacks. He clarified that while the Lebanese Chess Federation does not have a rule mandating boycotts, the Lebanese government does.
Historically, arbiters sometimes tried to prevent matches between Israelis and players from countries refusing to compete against them. However, since 2018, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) policy instructs arbiters not to yield to political pressure or alter draws. The current championship features 715 young players from 41 countries.
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