Taliban authorities have barred chess across Afghanistan until further notice over concerns it is a source of gambling, which is illegal under the government's morality law, a sports official said on Sunday.
"Chess in sharia (Islamic law) is considered a means of gambling," which is prohibited according to the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice law announced last year, sports directorate spokesperson Atal Mashwani told AFP.
"There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess," he said.
"Until these considerations are addressed, the sport of chess is suspended in Afghanistan," he added.
Mashwani said the national chess federation had not held any official events for around two years and "had some issues on the leadership level".
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ