Israeli chess team penalized after Yom Kippur scheduling agreement falls apart

The Israeli chess team forfeited four matches at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after the International Chess Federation failed to reschedule matches set for Yom Kippur, despite a written agreement to do so. Colombia and Singapore agreed to early starts, but the Netherlands and Bulgaria kept the original times and were awarded technical victories.

The Israeli chess team forfeited four matches at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after the International Chess Federation (FIDE) failed to reschedule matches scheduled for Yom Kippur, despite a written agreement to do so. According to the Israel Chess Federation, FIDE agreed in January to move Sunday matches to an earlier time and reschedule Monday matches to after Yom Kippur. In practice, the four countries scheduled to compete with Israel on Yom Kippur were given the option to reschedule. Colombia and Singapore agreed to start early, but the Netherlands and Bulgaria kept the original match times and were awarded a 4-0 technical victory because Israel did not show up. Israel Chess Federation Chairman Dr. Zvika Barkai expressed anger that FIDE failed to honor its commitments, saying they did almost nothing to resolve the issue. CEO Gil Boruchovsky said the forfeit will severely hurt Israel's ranking and that the federation will consider next steps. Despite the incident, the Israel Chess Federation is still expected to host the Jerusalem Open Championship in November, projected to attract some 450 players from around the world.