The Israeli chess team were forced to forfeit four matches at the International Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after the Netherlands and Bulgaria refused to change their match times so that the Israelis could observe Yom Kippur.
The Israeli Chess Federation made a request – with at least eight months notice - for the match times, which fell during the festival, to be changed.
The international body, the International Chess Federation, sent the Israelis a letter in January, pledging to “adjust” the schedule to take account of Yom Kippur.
It read: "Thank you for your kind letter. We understand your concerns, and in consideration of your significant contribution to the development of world chess and the importance of the participation of the Israeli teams in the Olympiad, we confirm that the schedule of the Israeli teams' matches at the Olympiad will be adjusted so that on September 20, 2026, your games will be ended by 17:00 local time, and on September 21, 2026, will start no earlier than 19:30 local time.”
This did not happen, leading to the option being given to the opponent nations to reschedule the matches themselves.
Colombia and Singapore agreed to do this and played Israel on Sunday at an earlier time before Yom Kippur came in, but the Netherlands and Bulgaria, who were due to play on Monday, were not willing to reschedule.
This resulted in both the Israeli open team, made up of both men and women, and the Israeli women's team, losing their matches to the two countries by default.
The International Chess Federation wrote: “[We] contacted the opponents of both Israeli teams to discuss the possibility of adjusting the playing schedule. However, neither opponent agreed to play at a different time from the official schedule, which they were fully entitled to do.”
Doctor Zvika Barkai, chairman of the Israel Chess Federation, told the Jerusalem Post: “We are very angry that the International Chess Federation failed to honour the commitments it made.
“Instead of including this in the tournament regulations, they planned to speak with the teams we were drawn against because they didn't want to generate public discourse or attention around the issue; in reality, they did almost nothing, and we are very upset with them about this.”
And Gil Boruchovsky, CEO of the Israeli Chess Federation, told the outlet: “The [international] federation did not enforce what had been agreed upon with us in advance, causing us significant harm.
“They did nothing to mitigate the damage it caused. They could have at least tried to prevent a 4–0 forfeit, which will severely hurt our ranking later on; we will consider our next steps - this will not go unchallenged."
He added: “The Israeli teams have performed very well at the Olympiad so far and will continue to fight with all their might and ability to reach the top 15."
Singaporean chess grandmaster Kevin Goh Wei Ming had posted on X during the tournament:
"A rather unique situation for our Singapore Open team today.
Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, begins at sundown today. It is traditionally observed with a 25-hour fast, prayer and reflection.
“At the request of the Israeli Chess Federation, and in the spirit of sportsmanship and mutual respect, our team has agreed to start our match against Israel 1 hour and 15 minutes earlier than scheduled.
"The match is currently played at the Savitsky Hotel to minimise disruption and hopefully allow the Israeli players to observe Yom Kippur.
“This is certainly one of the more unusual situations I have encountered in all my years of competitive chess, but also a reminder that an Olympiad brings together people from many different countries, cultures and traditions.
“Hopefully our players will adjust well to the change in schedule and put up a strong fight against a very strong Israeli team.”
The International Chess Federation has been contacted for comment.
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