Political Boycotts Target Young Israeli Chess Players at World Championship in Spain
A report by El País reveals political pressure and boycott attempts against young Israeli chess players at the World Youth Championship in Spain, involving athletes from Syria and Lebanon.
Political pressure and boycott attempts targeting Israeli athletes have reached youth competitions, according to a recent report by the Spanish newspaper El País concerning the World Youth Chess Championship in Roquetas de Mar, Spain. Players from Syria, Lebanon, and Algeria participating in the U-7 to U-17 tournament reportedly face instructions to forfeit matches against Israelis, though some children and their families resist these directives.
The Case of Talab Rami and the Syrian Federation
One of the most notable incidents involves 11-year-old Talab Rami, a Syrian chess prodigy born in 2013 who resides in the United Kingdom. After arriving late due to visa issues and forfeiting his first two rounds, Rami strung together a series of victories, including a crucial match against Israeli player Michael Dorfman in the fifth round, despite intense pressure from the Syrian Chess Federation to cancel the fixture.
Organizers and referees faced heavy lobbying to block the match, but the chief arbiter, Panagiotis Nikolopoulos from Greece, refused to intervene. "I told them I cannot stop anyone from playing if they want to play," he explained. Rami later stated he was unaware of the federation's ban during the game, noting the immense stakes of a world championship.
Lebanese Boycotts and FIDE Policy
Another incident involved the Lebanese delegation, where under-11 player Majd Kaafarani failed to appear for his seventh-round match against an Israeli opponent, submitting a medical certificate. The head of the Lebanese delegation, Mohammad Al-Habash, defended the actions by citing regional tensions, acknowledging that the Liban government enforces a strict anti-normalization policy.
"To our Lebanese chess federation, there is no law forcing players not to show up against Israelis. But the government of Lebanon has one," Al-Habash remarked.
Chief arbiter Nikolopoulos noted that while arbiters historically attempted to manipulate pairings to avoid such political clashes, FIDE updated its policies in 2018 to prohibit bowing to political pressure. The ongoing championship features 715 young chess players from 41 countries.
