Considered gambling
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned chess, stating it considers the 1,500-year-old game gambling under its religious laws.
Chess in sharia (Islamic law) is considered a means of gambling”
France 24 cited Taliban Sports Directorate spokesperson Atal Mashwani, who broke the news Sunday. “Chess in sharia (Islamic law) is considered a means of gambling,” Mashwani stated. Any link to gambling is prohibited since the Taliban enforced the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law in 2024.
The sports official’s announcement underlines the hardline interpretation of Islamic law that the Taliban have been pushing in Afghanistan since taking power in 2021.
“There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess,” he said.
Against the grain?
Considering the worldwide popularity of the game, since it was invented in India over 1,500 years ago, it’s a bold move by the Taliban in a country where playing chess in cafes was one of the few escapes for Afghans from the regime’s strictures.
Mashwani, however, stated that until the religious implications of the game in Afghanistan are settled, “the sport of chess is suspended.” The Taliban spokesperson attempted to justify the move by adding the national chess body hadn’t hosted any official events for “around two years and had some issues on the leadership level.”
Azizullah Gulzada said chess was played in other countries under Muslim-majority rule
France 24, however, cited the dismay over the ban from an owner of a Kabul cafe that has hosted informal chess competitions for years. Azizullah Gulzada said chess was played in other countries under Muslim-majority rule and that: “Many other Islamic countries have players on an international level.”
Gulzada stated that while he would adhere to the ban, it would harm his business and those who came to his cafe out of enjoyment of the sport.
The Kabul cafe owner denied any gambling took place at his establishment. Instead, Gulzada stated, people would meet to “have a cup of tea and challenge their friends to a game of chess.”
“Young people don’t have a lot of activities these days, so many came here everyday.”
Irony of the ban
The fact the Taliban has banned chess flies in the face of cultural history. The early-form game originated in India when game pieces represented military units of the time and place, according to House of Staunton, including “infantry, cavalry, elephants, chariots, a general and a king.”
The game spread from India and into Muslim countries, with Islamic dominance spreading the popularity of the game into Europe, where knights and queens replaced elephants and generals.
