Israel’s Olympiad matches rescheduled as Singapore, Colombia agree to early start for Yom Kippur

As the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand commenced its fifth round on Sunday, nearly 400 teams found themselves in a unique situation. Israel's men's and women's teams were absent from the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre, with their matches against Singapore and Colombia, respectively, rescheduled and moved to the Savitsky Hotel.

This change was made to accommodate the Jewish observance of Yom Kippur, which begins at sundown and traditionally involves a 25-hour fast, prayer, and reflection. FIDE, the international chess governing body, explained that the Israeli teams needed to wrap up their Round 5 games before the observance began. The opponents of the Israeli teams, Singapore and Colombia, showed respect for the religious observance by agreeing to start their matches one hour and 15 minutes earlier than the standard schedule.

Both matches were relocated to the Savitsky Hotel due to logistical reasons at the main playing hall. FIDE assured that the integrity of the competition would remain intact, and all games would be conducted according to standard tournament regulations and fair play measures.