Pakistan Forfeits Round One Match Against Israel at the Olympiad
By Douglas C. · Thu, 17 Sep 2026
Pakistan did not show up for its scheduled Round 1 match against Israel at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, leaving all four boards unplayed and handing Israel a 4-0 walkover.
Pakistan did not show up for its scheduled Round 1 match against Israel at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, leaving all four boards unplayed and handing Israel a 4-0 walkover.Four empty boardsPakistan and Israel were drawn against each other in the Open section for round one. Tournament records show all four boards as unoccupied for that match, Pakistan's players simply didn't take their seats. Under Swiss-system rules, a no-show forfeit awards the full four points to the opponent, so Israel received the maximum result without a game being played.Federation president cites government policyChess Federation of Pakistan president Syed Zeeshan Naqvi confirmed the boycott was deliberate, saying it reflected the country's official policy toward Israel. He framed the decision as an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Pakistan and Israel have no diplomatic relations, and Pakistan does not recognize the Israeli state, a position the federation's decision was consistent with.Pakistan is still playing everyone elseThe boycott applies specifically to the Israel fixture. Pakistan has not withdrawn from the Olympiad and continues competing in its other matches through the rest of the tournament.A political statement with a real scoreboard costThe forfeit means Pakistan effectively surrendered a full match's worth of points before the tournament had properly gotten going for them, a real competitive cost layered on top of the political statement. It adds a geopolitical subplot to an Olympiad that's already dealt with plenty of off-the-board controversy in its opening days, from accommodation failures affecting multiple delegations to disputes tied to the ongoing FIDE presidential race. Unlike those stories, though, this one is rooted squarely in the broader Israel-Palestine conflict rather than anything specific to FIDE's own governance or organization.