The Taliban government has suspended chess in Afghanistan over gambling concerns. It has also suspended the Afghanistan National Chess Federation (ANCF), Chess.com reports.
The Afghan online news service Khaama Press reported on Sunday that the country’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has banned chess due to “religious considerations.” Chess-related activities in Afghanistan have been put on hold indefinitely, and the Afghanistan National Chess Federation has been dissolved.
“Chess in sharia (Islamic law) is considered a means of gambling,” sports directorate spokesperson Atal Mashwani told AFP. “There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess. Until these considerations are addressed, the sport of chess is suspended in Afghanistan,” he said.
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, free fighting such as mixed martial arts (MMA) in professional competition was banned for it being “too violent” and “problematic with respect to sharia.”
