Afghanistan bans chess because it promoted illegal gambling

Kabul Gambling - Despite being one of the country's top mind sports/activities, Afghanistan officially suspended chess, allegedly because it promoted gambling, which is prohibited by its religion.

The decision was confirmed to a local media outlet by Atal Mashwani, a spokesperson for the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee, not so much because of the bishop's spikes that have blinded several players throughout history, but because "there were religious concerns regarding the game."

AFGHANISTAN BANS CHESS. For “religious reasons.”

What's behind the decision? The idea that the queen is the dominant piece in the game.

Put a hijab on her. pic.twitter.com/RKiSGEguvz

— Samson 🇮🇱🇦🇷🇮🇱 (@JonnJonzz62) May 13, 2025

Who would have thought that chess would be dangerous in Afghanistan?

“It is also prohibited by the Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Law. Therefore, until these concerns are addressed, the sport of chess is suspended in Afghanistan,” Mashwani explained, without providing any details about the dangerous games of Chinese checkers that Afghan children often play.

This comes after some Islamic scholars (sometimes satire is unnecessary) claimed that the rules of chess are “not only not permissible in Islamic principles,” arguing further that:

“All sports that do not harm health, violate human dignity, involve financial corruption, or distract from religious duties are permissible, and some are even considered Sunnah,” added Mohammad Saleh Islampur, who, in addition to being a scholar, shares a name with 500 million other worshippers.

Afghanistan bans chess on religious grounds. The Afghan Chess Federation has been dissolved (it was ranked 129th in the world). https://t.co/gXoXeuTVrx pic.twitter.com/9JQZaTwQCb

— The Zugzwang Blog – Daniel Muñoz (@TheZugzwangBlog) May 12, 2025

The indefinite suspension of chess in Afghanistan was ordered by the Taliban government, leaving the prosperous nation without a national sport… although in cricket they have climbed from 82nd to 47th in the world rankings, which speaks to the steady and sustained progress of Kabul's athletes.

And in case you missed it: a couple was spotted leaving the motel… with all the furniture in their room.