Israel’s Olympiad matches rescheduled as Singapore, Colombia agree to early start for Yom Kippur
4 min readNew DelhiSep 20, 2026 07:29 PM IST
When nearly 400 teams across the men’s and women’s sections of the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand began their fifth round on Sunday, three countries and their four teams were missing from action at the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre. Israel’s games in both the Open and Women’s sections, against Singapore and Colombia respectively, had been rescheduled and relocated to the Savitsky Hotel.
The change was made to accommodate the observance of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, which begins at sundown.
“Due to the observance of Yom Kippur on September 20, the Israeli Open and Women’s teams need to complete their Round 5 games of the FIDE Chess Olympiad earlier than the standard playing schedule would normally allow,” FIDE explained the reason behind the rescheduling.
The Israeli teams needed to complete their games before the 25-hour fast and period of prayer and reflection began. In a show of sportsmanship, their opponents, Singapore in the Open section and Colombia in the Women’s section, agreed to start their matches one hour and 15 minutes earlier than the standard playing schedule.
“The opponents of both Israeli teams have shown respect for this religious observance and agreed to begin their matches earlier,” FIDE said.
Due to organisational procedures at the main Olympiad playing hall, both matches were moved to the Savitsky Hotel, as confirmed by the international chess body.
The governing body also assured that the integrity of the competition would remain intact. “All games will be conducted in full accordance with the standard tournament regulations and applicable fair play measures. FIDE thanks the teams involved for their understanding and cooperation.”
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Kevin Goh Wei Ming, CEO of the Singapore Chess Federation, acknowledged the unusual nature of the situation. “Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, begins at sundown today. It is traditionally observed with a 25-hour fast, prayer and reflection. At the request of the Israeli Chess Federation, and in the spirit of sportsmanship and mutual respect, our team has agreed to start our match against Israel one hour and 15 minutes earlier than scheduled,” he wrote on X.
A rather unique situation for our Singapore Open team today.
Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, begins at sundown today. It is traditionally observed with a 25-hour fast, prayer and reflection.
At the request of the Israeli Chess Federation, and in the spirit of…
— Kevin Goh Wei Ming (@kevingohwm) September 20, 2026
“This is certainly one of the more unusual situations I have encountered in all my years of competitive chess, but also a reminder that an Olympiad brings together people from many different countries, cultures, and traditions. Hopefully our players will adjust well to the change in schedule and put up a strong fight against a very strong Israeli team.”
Singapore, seeded 50th in the men’s event, have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament as they defeated 21st seed Norway in the third round.
Pakistan’s walkover vs Israel
Earlier in the tournament, Israel made headlines when Pakistan refused to play them in the opening round, giving their opponents a walkover as Israel won the clash 4-0. Pakistan did not field a single player for the scheduled match, leaving all four boards unplayed in the Open section.
The Chess Federation of Pakistan (CFP) said the decision was in line with the country’s policy towards Israel and was also intended to express solidarity with the Palestinian people.
