Israel absent in Round 6 at 2026 Chess Olympiad: When the match schedule touches the line between faith and rules

Israel remain the centre of discussion at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. After requesting an early start in Round 5 because of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, Singapore’s men’s team and Colombia’s women’s team had agreed. But Round 6 painted a different picture. Both the Israeli men’s and women’s teams did not show up, despite having sent a formal request to FIDE to change the schedule. As they did the previous day, Israel asked to move their matches to 7:30 PM on September 21 or to Tuesday, September 22, the rest day of the Olympiad. The Netherlands in the Open section and Bulgaria in the Women’s section refused. FIDE later confirmed that both teams had every right to decline, and Israel was awarded technical losses in both sections. “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,” a FIDE spokesperson said. “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.” Video footage showed the Dutch team walking into the venue, only to find their opponents, Israel, not present. They waited for the required time and then received a forfeit win. Bulgaria also did not need to touch a single piece. This story is a clear contrast to Round 5. When Israel asked to play early, Singapore’s Open team and Colombia’s Women’s team agreed to start their matches 75 minutes earlier. Those matches were moved to the Savitsky Hotel so Israel could finish before sundown. It was a gesture of fair play worth praising. But in Round 6, the Netherlands and Bulgaria chose not to do the same. From a purely sporting perspective, the decision of the Netherlands and Bulgaria did not violate any rule. Every team at the Olympiad has the right to keep the published match schedule. That schedule is part of the tournament. When one team requests a change for religious reasons, the opposing team has the right to decline. The refusal may be judged on the level of sporting spirit, but it cannot be considered illegal. For Israel, two technical losses are a major shock. Israel entered the tournament as the 22nd seed in both sections. Before Round 6, they were in good form with four wins in five rounds. The men’s team was ranked 22nd, the women’s team was ranked 20th, both with a record of four wins and one loss. Two forfeits not only cost them points but also broke their competitive rhythm at the middle stage of the tournament, when places in the next stage are decided. More important is the message this incident sends to the chess world. The Olympiad is the largest team event, bringing together more than one hundred countries and territories. Each country has its own culture, religion and calendar. But the tournament format has only one schedule. When setting the schedule in advance, FIDE rarely takes into account the religious holidays of each delegation. Israel had to find their own solutions. In Round 5, they were lucky to meet accommodating opponents. In Round 6, that luck did not return. As someone who has followed many Olympiads, I have rarely seen an incident expose the fragile line between faith and regulations so clearly. Chess is a sport of rules. But away from the board, those rules are being tested by pressures that do not come from the pieces. From a professional point of view, this is a game in which neither side made an absolutely wrong move. Israel defended their religious rights. The Netherlands and Bulgaria defended the match schedule and their sporting interests. FIDE acted as a middleman and gave the decision-making power to the teams. But the result is that a major tournament had two matches end without a single move, and two teams lost two points for entirely non-chess reasons. A question arises: should FIDE build a more flexible framework from the start, allowing teams to register their religious holidays before the tournament begins? If so, today’s situation could be handled through a clear procedure, rather than depending at the last minute on the goodwill of opponents. Goodwill is not always present. And when goodwill is absent, the rules need an automatic mechanism to deal with the situation, rather than turning a refusal into a weapon at the board. It must be remembered that in high-performance sport, the match schedule is a contract. Once the contract is signed, every change needs mutual consent. Religion, however sacred, cannot automatically amend a contract. That is why the decision of the Netherlands and Bulgaria should be respected even if it makes fans uncomfortable. They have no obligation to sacrifice their preparation for a matter that is not their responsibility. Both football and chess have seen disputes over match schedules for religious reasons. But at the Olympiad, where players compete under their national flags, the issue becomes even more sensitive. Israel is not just a chess team. They represent a country where Yom Kippur brings almost all public activity to a halt. Sitting at the chessboard on the holiest day of the year is unacceptable for many Jewish people. But for the Netherlands and Bulgaria, the sacredness of Yom Kippur cannot be a reason to change their own competitive habits. A player enters a tournament with a personal preparation plan. Meal times, sleep patterns and recovery after long rounds are all carefully scheduled. Moving a game to late evening could disrupt their biological rhythm and affect the next round. At Olympiad level, a few hours’ difference can create a significant impact. That is why the stories of Round 5 and Round 6 cannot be compared simply. Singapore and Colombia chose to be flexible and deserve praise. But they did it because they wanted to, not because they had to. Praising them is not the same as condemning the Netherlands or Bulgaria. Every team has its own circumstances. Every team has the right to put its own interests first. The only unfortunate thing is that FIDE did not anticipate this situation. After Round 5, Israel’s problem was already known. The federation should have proactively built a contingency plan for Round 6 from that moment, instead of waiting until the opponents said no and only then responding. FIDE’s decision to stay outside the dispute and declare that both teams had the right to refuse is legally correct. But in terms of tournament management, it was passive. Data is never vain. The standings after Round 6 will show the Netherlands and Bulgaria each gaining two points. There will be no chart showing respect or disrespect between cultures. The standings only record results. For professional observers, this incident reminds us that systems do not lie, but they can only be heard when the data is thick enough. And the data of this case is still incomplete: goodwill changes from round to round, from opponent to opponent, and from calculation to calculation. There are times when the match schedule should not be seen as a tactic. But in reality, refusing an opponent’s request for a schedule change always carries tactical meaning. The Netherlands may be saving energy for Round 7. Bulgaria may want to avoid waiting until evening. Nobody can prove their motives. The rules do not ask about motives. The rules only ask: do you agree or not. When the answer is no, the match is decided in a meeting room, not on the board. Israel now has to stand up again. With two technical losses, their chances of fighting for medals are almost closed. But the Olympiad still has three rounds left, and a team with strong character can still win the remaining games to rescue their ranking. Israel’s story at Samarkand this time will be remembered not for brilliant moves, but for a debate about time, faith and the right to say no. For FIDE, this is a lesson. If the federation does not want to see teams missing matches because of religious holidays, it must include this issue in its organisational regulations. A list of major religious holidays of member countries should be collected before the tournament, published early, and handled with flexible but fair rules. That way, no team would be put in the position of having to beg their opponents, and no team would have to play the villain by saying no. The 2026 Chess Olympiad is still going on. But an important part of the tournament has already been defined away from the board. Israel left Round 6 with two forfeit losses, not because their opponents were stronger, but because the line between the match schedule and faith had been drawn by nobody in advance. When that line does not exist, each team draws its own. And when those lines do not meet, the loser is always the spirit of sport.