Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, restrictions on women’s freedom of movement have increased significantly. Women have been banned from participating in sports like cricket and football. Now, taking it a step further, the Taliban government has banned the game of chess for everyone in the country.
The primary reason behind the ban, according to the Taliban, is that chess is considered a form of gambling. The spokesman for Afghanistan’s Sports Directorate, Atal Mashwani, stated that any kind of gambling is against the government’s moral laws.
He said, “Under Sharia law, chess is seen as a means of gambling, which is prohibited under the Law on Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice announced last year. This decision has been made on religious grounds. Until a resolution is found, chess will remain suspended in Afghanistan.”
However, even before the official ban, chess competitions had effectively stopped in the country. There hasn’t been a single national chess event in the past two years. The official suspension now confirms that freeze.
On this, Mashwani added, “Due to leadership issues, the National Chess Federation has not organized any events for nearly two years.”
UA / TDS
