Israeli chess team penalized after Yom Kippur scheduling agreement falls apart
According to the Israel Chess Federation, the International Chess Federation agreed in writing that matches scheduled for Yom Kippur would be moved to accommodate the Israeli team.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has penalized the Israeli team after a scheduling agreement fell through on Yom Kippur, resulting in the forfeit of four matches. Despite a pledge months earlier, FIDE refused to reschedule the matches, leading to the Netherlands and Bulgaria being awarded a 4-0 technical victory. Israel's performance so far at the Olympiad has been strong, but this incident has left Dr. Zvika Barkai, Chairman of the Israel Chess Federation, and Gil Boruchovsky, CEO of the Israeli Chess Federation, deeply angered.
They criticized FIDE for not honoring the commitments made earlier and not taking any steps to mitigate the damage. Despite this setback, the Israeli teams remain determined to reach the top 15 in rankings and are expected to host the Jerusalem Open Championship in November.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
