The Taliban has banned the game of chess in Afghanistan until further notice.
The ban was issued by the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
I'll admit my first thought was that it had something to do with a particular piece.
But Atal Mashwani, the spokesman of the Taliban government's sports directorate, said that's not the case at all. According to Mashwani, chess in Islamic sharia law is "considered a means of gambling."
There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess.
Until these considerations are addressed, the sport of chess is suspended in Afghanistan.
Other Islamic countries with Sharia law play chess with no problem whatsoever, so it's not really clear why the Taliban consider it a means of gambling.
However, the BBC links the chess issue with another sports ban, mixed-martial arts, which was made illegal after the Taliban passed a "no punching people in the face" law (I'm not making that up).
Much like martial arts, chess is an ancient game of war, used to develop strategy on how to overcome an opponent. The Taliban certainly wouldn't want the young men they're ruling learning how to fight and win a strategic war against them.
One cafe owner in Kabul, who has hosted informal chess competitions in recent years, said he would respect the decision but it would hurt his business.
‘Young people don't have a lot of activities these days, so many come here every day,' Azizullah Gulzada said.
‘They would have a cup of tea and challenge their friends to a game of chess.'
Because we all know the best way to keep the young men from revolting is to give them absolutely nothing to do and take away all their prospects.
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