The move, based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law, has disappointed chess players in Afghanistan, where the competitive sport was said to be undergoing a resurgence prior to the Taliban’s return to power.

The Afghanistan National Chess Federation has struggled to function since many of its senior officials fled in 2021 and has now been dissolved by the government, The Telegraph reports.

A senior official told the newspaper: “This is a suspension, not an outright ban, but it feels like the death of chess in Afghanistan.”

The Taliban has said it is consulting Islamic scholars before deciding whether to make the ban permanent, though has given no timetable for a decision.

Incredulous chess fans have pointed out that chess remains legal and popular in every other Muslim-majority country.

Azerbaijan has some of the world’s best chess players, with its national federation ranked in sixth in newly-published rankings – behind only the USA, India, China, Russia and Germany.

“This is more about interpretation than religion,” the Afghan chess official said.