In a blow to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, all 11 foreign national teams will compete for the World Team Championship alongside Israel in Jerusalem beginning on Sunday.
The World Chess Federation (FIDA) did not even react to a letter demanding that the competition be relocated from Jerusalem.
“We are writing from the Palestinian Chess Forum of the Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon to urge the International Chess Federation not to hold the 2022 World Team Championship in occupied East Jerusalem or anywhere under the control of Israel’s regime of military occupation and apartheid,” stated the letter.
Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, India, South Africa, China, Spain, France, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Poland, and the world’s top-ranked country, the United States, will participate.
The Israel team will be captained by Ilana David and include Maxim Rodshtein, Tamir Nabaty, Avital Boruchovsky, Ilia Smirin, Evgeny Postny and Ori Kobo.
