Re: OT Weird Chess News.

Paul S Person wrote:

On Mon, 19 May 2025 17:50:24 +1200, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:
 

Chess banned in Afghanistan due to gambling and religious considerations.
https://www.khaama.com/chess-banned-in-afghanistan-due-to-religious-restrictions/

 That's very strange, as chess itself may well have come to Europe via
Islam (from India, IIRC). You would think it was firmly traditional.

You would think so, but there's a long history of religious "authorities" calling for the banning of chess, both in Christianity and Islam.
Mainly because chess distracts people from the Proper Duty of Man: Beat up unbelievers, pay the church, pray, have children and raise them in the faith, beat up unbelievers, and so on.
No room for games in that.
Very early versions of chess are said to have involved dice (I'm not sure if this is generally accepted but chess with dice does exist) and if so early bans, circa 600 or so, may have been part of a larger ban on gambling.
William Hyde