KABUL: Taliban authorities have barred chess across Afghanistan until further notice over concerns it is a source of gambling, which is illegal under the government’s morality law, a sports official said on Sunday.
The Taliban government has steadily imposed laws and regulations that reflect its austere vision of Islamic law since seizing power in 2021.
“Chess in sharia (Islamic law) is considered a means of gambling,” which is prohibited according to the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law announced last year, sports directorate spokesperson Atal Mashwani told AFP.
“There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess,” he said.
“Until these considerations are addressed, the sport of chess is suspended in Afghanistan,” he added.
Mashwani said the national chess federation had not held any official events for around two years and “had some issues on the leadership level.”
Azizullah Gulzada owns a cafe in Kabul that has hosted informal chess competitions in recent years, but denied any gambling took place and noted chess was played in other Muslim-majority countries.
“Many other Islamic countries have players on an international level,” he told AFP.
He said he would respect the suspension but that it would hurt his business and those who enjoyed the game.
“Young people don’t have a lot of activities these days, so many came here everyday,” he told AFP.
“They would have a cup of tea and challenge their friends to a game of chess.”
Afghanistan’s authorities have restricted other sports in recent years and women have been essentially barred from participating in sport altogether in the country.
Last year, the authorities banned free fighting such as mixed martial arts (MMA) in professional competition, saying it was too “violent” and “problematic with respect to sharia.”

POONCH: Residents of the town in Indian-administered Kashmir worst hit by the deadliest fighting in decades with Pakistan trickled back on Sunday, a day after a surprise truce.
Over 60 people died in days of days of missile, drone and artillery attacks that came close to all-out war until the ceasefire, which was holding on Sunday despite early alleged violations.
Most of the dead were civilians and the majority Pakistanis.
On the Indian side, Poonch on the Indian-run part of divided Kashmir bore the brunt, with at least 12 people killed at 49 injured, according to officials.
They included 12-year-old Zian Khan and his twin sister Urwa Fatima, hit by an artillery shell on Wednesday as their parents tried to leave the town.
The majority of the 60,000-strong population fled in cars, on buses and even on foot, leaving only a few thousand to brave it out.
Tariq Ahmad arrived back on Sunday bringing back 20 people in his bus as signs of life and activity returned to Poonch’s streets.
“Most who fled are still afraid and will wait and watch to see if this agreement holds,” the 26-year-old driver told AFP at the main bus terminal.
“Luckily, I managed to pick up 20 people from nearby villages who wanted to check if their homes and belongings survived the intense Pakistani shelling.”
Poonch lies about 145 miles (230 kilometers) from Jammu, the second largest city in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Hazoor Sheikh, 46, who runs a store in the main market, was one of the first few people to reopen his shop.
“Finally, after days, we could sleep peacefully,” he said.
“It is not just me or my family but everyone around finally had a smile yesterday,” he added.
“I nervously returned a short while back to check on my shop,” 40-year-old Mushtaq Qureshi said.
“Our families and neighbors were all separated as people fled to villages or relatives’ homes for safety. But we are happy to be back today and to see each other again,” he said.
Qureshi had left his home with about 20 relatives.
“Buildings around our neighborhood were hit but luckily nothing has happened to my home,” he said.
Rita Sharma, 51, said she was really looking forward to seeing five children from her extended whom she had sent away for safety.
“They were the first to call yesterday after the (ceasefire) announcement and declared that they’d be back home by Sunday evening,” she said.
“We hope it stays peaceful.”
Hotel manager Subhash Chandar Raina also stayed put despite “the worst shelling in years.”
“I feel sorry for those who’ve lost lives and belongings but thank God for allowing us to return to our normal lives after the worst phase in the region for years,” the 53-year-old said.
Raina was one of only two hotel staff who stayed back as they felt traveling “was risky.”
Abdul Razzak, 50, remembers fleeing with four children and two other relatives on two motorbikes with nothing but their clothes.
“It was our worst nightmare... We’ve seen our people die around us, so none of us want a war,” Razzak said.
Hafiz Mohammad Shah Bukhari was skeptical.
“We are not entirely confident that this ceasefire agreement will hold, based on our experience over the years,” the 49-year-old said.
“Every time India has agreed to such an agreement, Pakistan has ended up violating it... It’s people like us, the frontier people, who end up suffering and losing everything.”