Taliban bans chess in Afghanistan, citing violations of Islamic morality laws

The Taliban government has recently taken the decision to suspend chess throughout Afghanistan until further notice asserting that it has a deep association with gambling and therefore, in strict violation of the country’s morality laws. The decision is part of the Taliban’s enforcement of various laws that cater to their strict interpretation of Islamic laws. This has been a key ideology since they seized power in 2021.

“Chess in sharia (Islamic law) is considered a means of gambling," said Atal Mashwani, the spokesperson of the Directorate of Physical Education and Sports, according to a report by France24. This ban comes after laws on Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice were established last year.

The ban comes in light of the Taliban’s view that the game of Chess promotes gambling, which is banned under Islamic law. "Until these concerns are taken into consideration, the sport of chess will remain suspended in Afghanistan," said Atal Mashwani. Mashwani also went on to say that the national chess federation had not held official events for nearly two years due to internal leadership squabbles.

According to Azizullah Gulzada, who operates a cafe in Kabul where informal chess games were regularly held, no gambling ever happened. He remarked that chess is played in many Muslim-majority countries. Although he intends to abide by the ban, he said, "On one hand, this is going to be bad for my business, but on the other, it is also bad for the young who really do not have a lot of activities these days, so many came here every day for a cup of tea and chess challenges with their friends."

The suspension is in keeping with the emerging pattern of sports restrictions in Afghanistan. Women are by and large barred from participating in sports, and last year the Taliban banned professional mixed martial arts as they deemed it to be too "violent" and incompatible with sharia laws.