A former chess coach says a member of the Taliban vice squad told him: "Playing chess is forbidden. Buying a chess set is forbidden. Even watching it — is forbidden." Why was the game banned?

A former chess coach says a member of the Taliban vice squad told him: "Playing chess is forbidden. Buying a chess set is forbidden. Even watching it — is forbidden." Why was the game banned?

Girls play in a 2021 chess competition in Mazar-e-Sharif, capital of the northern Balkh province, Afghanistan. Girls and women had been encouraged to learn the game — until the Taliban took ...

Girls play in a 2021 chess competition in Mazar-e-Sharif, capital of the northern Balkh province, Afghanistan. Girls and women had been encouraged to learn the game — until the Taliban took ...

Girls play in a 2021 chess competition in Mazar-e-Sharif, capital of the northern Balkh province, Afghanistan. Girls and women had been encouraged to learn the game — until the Taliban took ...