The Taliban cling to the argument that the game involves gambling (prohibited by the Quran), a justification previously used by Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini — who reversed his stance in 1988
Chess mirrors the fanaticism of the Taliban government. Banned during the Taliban’s first rule (1996–2001) and tolerated — although women were not allowed to play — after they returned to power in 2021, it is now banned again on the grounds that it is a source of gambling, which is prohibited under Afghan law and described in the Quran as “an evil act.”
However, that argument was already dismissed in 1988 in Iran, which has since produced brilliant players. If the concern is online betting, the Kabul government would also have to ban football, tennis, and other sports that generate far more betting revenue than chess.
The news was confirmed to EL PAÍS on May 12 by an Afghan chess player who requested anonymity: he has been in hiding in his country for months, frequently changing locations out of fear of punishment (he even fears for his life) because he attempted to travel abroad without authorization to compete in a tournament. The Afghan team that participated in last September’s Chess Olympiad in Budapest consisted mostly of exiled players, along with some living in Afghanistan who had been denied permission to attend the event.
Since chess was still tolerated in Afghanistan at that time (although only for men), the welcome given to the team was not as enthusiastic as in the 1996 Olympiad in Yerevan, Armenia. Back then, the ban was absolute. The Afghan team traveled through three countries over 10 days by bus and plane, arriving a week late — and was met with thunderous applause from more than a thousand participants from 111 countries, who stood and formed a corridor to greet them.