The Afghan team’s players returned home from the 2026 Chess Olympiad in late September. Three of the four players were detained while crossing back into Afghanistan. Team players Khaibar Farazi and Guldoost Habibullah spoke about the situation in an interview with EL PAIS.

The members said that their passports were confiscated and they were separated into different rooms. A few hours later, the detained players were sent to the country’s capital, Kabul. The fourth player, S Wahabuddin Mirzaad, successfully crossed the only open crossing between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, the Hairatan border.

The captain of the open team, Zaheer Asefi, said that all players of the Afghanistan roster legally left the country in early September. The players had expected any potential punishment to be mild, despite the restrictions on chess in the country.

One hour after the chess players’ departure, both air and land border crossings received a government order to detain them. Then followed an order to return the players. The second order came after confirmation of their participation in the Olympiad under the flag of Afghanistan.

Three Afghan chess players are currently under house arrest in Kabul. Zaheer Asefi noted that their expected punishment is currently unknown.

Some interpretations of Sharia associate chess with gambling. Gambling is officially banned in the country, and severe punishments are imposed for engaging in it. In the most extreme cases, punishments include amputation of hands or other forms of corporal punishment.

The Afghan government considers chess a ‘suspended’ discipline. Chess clubs in the country are closed, and fines are imposed for playing and possessing a chessboard.

Credit: Habibullah Guldoost