FIDE Failed to Honor Yom Kippur Agreement: Israeli Teams Handed Forfeit Losses
Israel’s men’s and women’s national teams did not play their sixth-round matches at the World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand because the games fell on Yom Kippur, one of the most important days in the Jewish calendar. As a result, both teams were handed 4–0 forfeit losses.
The Israeli men’s team was scheduled to face the Netherlands, while the women’s team was due to play Bulgaria. The Israeli side asked for the matches to be rescheduled due to religious restrictions, proposing that they be played later or moved to the scheduled rest day.
According to FIDE, the opponents did not agree to change the match times. In the previous round, the organizers had managed to find a compromise: Israel’s matches against Singapore and Colombia were played according to an adjusted schedule.
The Israel Chess Federation said that, before the Olympiad, it had received written assurances from FIDE that the schedule would be adapted to accommodate Yom Kippur. According to the Israeli side, the agreement was not properly implemented.
FIDE, for its part, said that changing the schedule for the sixth round required the opponents’ consent, but that the Netherlands and Bulgaria did not agree to the rescheduling. As a result, the Israeli players did not turn up for their matches because they could not participate while observing Yom Kippur.
Thus, following the sixth round, the Netherlands and Bulgaria were awarded 4–0 victories over the Israeli teams. The situation prompted criticism from the Israel Chess Federation, which accused FIDE of failing to honor the prior agreements.
