SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan: Australia's top-ranked women's chess player Heather Richards chose to boycott her game against Israel at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad (Sept 15 to Sept 27), citing the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza.
She withdrew from her scheduled game on September 23. "I am doing this because Israel is committing a genocide," she said in a statement published on Lichess.
Richards, who was playing on Board 3 for Australia's women's team, announced her decision ahead of the seventh round of the tournament. In her statement, Richards said that she did not want to participate in what she called “sportswashing” and questioned why Israel was allowed to compete while Russia remained excluded from international chess following its invasion of Ukraine.
“I am participating in the sporting boycott of Israel,” Richards said in her statement.
"I oppose genocide. I oppose the Israeli apartheid which denies Palestinians basic rights and dignity. I oppose the illegal occupations of the Palestinian territories as per the ruling of the International Court of Justice.
I stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people," Richards said.
Her decision was an individual boycott rather than a withdrawal by the Australian team. Australia and Israel still played their Round 7 team match, which ended in a 2–2 draw according to the official tournament results.
Richards' action came amid a series of disputes involving Israel during the Olympiad in Samarkand.
Earlier in the tournament, Pakistan forfeited its opening-round match against Israel. The Pakistani team did not play any of the four scheduled games, and Israel was awarded a 4–0 victory. Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel and does not recognise the Israeli state.
Israel was subsequently involved in another controversy over the scheduling of matches during Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.
Israel requested changes to its Round 6 fixtures so its players could observe the religious holiday. The Netherlands in the Open section and Bulgaria in the Women's section did not agree to reschedule their matches. Israeli players therefore did not appear for those fixtures, and the Netherlands and Bulgaria were awarded 4–0 victories.
The scheduling dispute followed earlier rounds in which opponents had agreed to accommodate Israel's request to avoid playing during Yom Kippur.