Afghanistan’s Taliban government has banned chess until further notice because of fears that it is a source of gambling.
The BBC reports that officials have said the game has been prohibited, until its compatibility with Islamic law can be determined.
Atal Mashwani, the spokesman of the Taliban government’s sports directorate, said chess in Islamic sharia law is “considered a means of gambling”.
Mashwani is quoted as saying: “There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess.”
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”.
A Taliban spokesperson said last August: “It was found that the sport is problematic with respect to Sharia and it has many aspects which are contradictory to the teachings of Islam.”