♟ Taliban bans chess in Afghanistan

♟ Taliban bans chess in Afghanistan

The Taliban have officially banned chess in Afghanistan and ordered the closure of the country's chess federation.
On May 9, Afghan chess players appealed to the sports department, asking for permission and financial support for chess. However, according to the emir's decree, chess was declared "forbidden" and all activities were suspended. This decision was made at the initiative of the Ministry of Promoting Good Deeds and Preventing Evil.
This is not the first restriction on chess: during the Taliban's rule from 1996 to 2001, activities such as chess, music, television and the Internet were also banned. They believed that these activities distracted from religious obligations.