Israel continue to remain the centre of discussion at the ongoing 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. After requesting an early start to their fifth-round games due to the observance of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, the Singapore men’s team and Colombia women’s team had obliged on Sunday. But Monday painted a different picture, as neither the Israeli men’s nor women’s team showed up for their sixth-round matches.

Just like their request on Sunday, Israel submitted a formal request to FIDE, the world’s chess governing body, asking either to reschedule their sixth-round games to after 7:30 PM local time on Monday or to move them to Tuesday, which is a rest day in the event.

However, unlike Singapore and Colombia, who agreed to reschedule, Israel’s opponents in the sixth round, the Netherlands in the Open section and Bulgaria in the Women’s section refused the request. As a result, both teams were awarded full points via forfeit once Israel failed to show up for their games.

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

FIDE issued a clarification on the matter, stating that the world body had contacted the Netherlands and Bulgaria, but both sides declined any request to change their game time.

“Due to the observance of Yom Kippur on September 20 and 21, the Israeli Open and Women’s teams requested adjustments to their playing schedule. For Round 5, they needed to complete their games earlier than the standard schedule would normally allow. For Round 6, they requested either a later start in the evening, at 19:30 or later, or to move the games to September 22, the scheduled rest day of the Olympiad,” said a FIDE spokesperson.

“Regarding the Round 6 games, FIDE contacted the opponents of both Israeli teams. Unlike in the previous round, neither opponent agreed to play at a different time from the official schedule. They are fully entitled to decline such a request,” the spokesperson added.

Story continues below this ad

The decision stands in stark contrast to Round 5, when Singapore’s Open team and Colombia’s Women’s team agreed to begin their matches one hour and 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. Those matches were relocated to the Savitsky Hotel to accommodate the change and allow the Israeli players to complete their games before sundown.

For Israel, the forfeits mean a significant setback in both sections. The Netherlands and Bulgaria walk away with full points without a single move being played, while Israel’s campaign is dealt a blow as the tournament heads into its crucial middle rounds.

Israel, seeded 22nd in the open section, were ranked 22nd after winning four out of their five rounds. The women’s team, also seeded 22nd, were ranked 20th with a similar score.