Web Desk: Pakistan forfeited its opening-round match against Israel at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand after its players did not appear for the scheduled fixture.
The absence left all four boards unused and resulted in a 4-0 victory for Israel under the tournament’s forfeit rules.
Pakistan and Israel had been paired in the Open section for the first round. Tournament records list no games for the matchup, indicating that none of Pakistan’s four players took their places at the boards.
As a result, Israel received the maximum points without playing a single move.
Syed Zeeshan Naqvi, president of the Chess Federation of Pakistan, said the decision was intentional and followed Pakistan’s official position regarding Israel.
Naqvi described the move as an expression of support for Palestinians. Pakistan does not recognize Israel and the two countries do not maintain diplomatic relations.
The federation’s decision therefore reflected Islamabad’s longstanding policy rather than a tournament-related dispute between the two chess teams.
Despite conceding the opening match, Pakistan has not withdrawn from the Olympiad.
The team is continuing to participate in its remaining fixtures against other opponents. The decision to forfeit applies specifically to the match against Israel.
The 4-0 result, however, means Pakistan began its campaign by conceding the maximum available points from a single team match.
The incident has added a geopolitical dimension to the chess competition, with Pakistan’s decision directly linking its participation to its position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
For the tournament standings, the consequence is straightforward: Israel collected four points while Pakistan received none from the fixture.
The development comes as the Samarkand Olympiad has also faced other off-board issues involving delegations and wider disputes surrounding international chess administration. Pakistan’s forfeiture, however, stems specifically from its stated national policy toward Israel.
With the tournament continuing, Pakistan will now seek points in its remaining matches while its opening-round result remains recorded as a 4-0 forfeit.
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