The Taliban government has added chess, which “until further notice” will be considered “gambling”, which is against the morality law, a spokesman for the Sports Directorate, Atal Maswani, announced today.

Chess “is considered a means of betting for monetary gain”, which is prohibited by the law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of the Destruction of Morals, he explained, speaking to AFP. Maswani did not specify what the punishment for offenders would be.

Azizullah Gulzada, 46, the owner of a cafe in Kabul where patrons played chess, said he would abide by the order but was not convinced by the authorities’ arguments that religion forbids the game. “Many Muslim countries have international-level players participating in international tournaments. Many young people came here every day and did not bet money,” he commented. “People who love chess are saddened,” he said.

After they took power again in 2021, the Taliban gradually imposed their extreme version of Islam, banning certain activities and sports. In 2024, mixed martial arts competitions were banned because the government deemed them “violent” and possibly “contrary to sharia law”. Cricket is still allowed, but only for men.

Women were ostracised from society after being banned from parks, gyms, beauty salons and university, prompting the UN to denounce the Taliban as imposing a kind of “gender apartheid”.