Chess, More than just a game

You said in class that chess was illegal because it showed you exactly how to win a war. How long was it illegal, and who made it legal? Were people killed for playing it?   

Great question Haven but as with many good questions there is not one answer. Chess is one of the oldest games known to man. It originated in India and has slowly moved around the world evolving and adapting to each culture that adopts it. As it has moved across the ages (it is over 2,000 years old) it has taken on different pieces and rules causing it to be banned for various reasons. Kings and religious officials (especially the western religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam) have banned it for various reasons. Overall the reasons for banning chess have been because it was seen to encourage war and gambling. It has been banned from its beginnings in various ancient cultures all the way up to modern day in countries like Iran and by the Taliban in Afghanistan. I could not find any information as to the penalty for persons caught violating these rules, however I would venture to guess that in at least some of the circumstances, based on time and culture, that the penalty could possibly have been death, but that is purely conjecture on my part and cannot be confirmed by any source I could find. 

The following list was taken from Chess.com and shows the various times and places that chess has been banned… 

Chess (shatranj, the original name given to the game invented in northwest India) was a legal issue after Mohammad died in 642.  In 655, his son in law disapproved of the game for his sect of Muslims because of the graven images (carved figures of the chess pieces).

In 680, the 50th rule of canons was interpreted as forbidding chess.

In 780, the caliph al-Mahdi wrote to Mecca religious leaders to give up chess played with dice.

In 1005, chess was banned in Egypt and all the chess sets and pieces were ordered to be burned.

In 1061, Cardinal Damiani (1007-1072) of Ostin forbade the clergy to play chess.  He even wrote to the Pope complaining that chess was being played by some clergy and lay people.

In 1093, chess was condemned and forbidden by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

In 1125, the Eastern Orthodox monk John Zonares issued a directive banning chess as a kind of debauchery.

In 1128, St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) forbate the Knights Templar’s from playing chess.

In 1195, Rabbi Maimonides (1155-1204) included chess among the forbidden games.

In 1208, the Bishop of Paris decreed that chess be banned from the clergy.

In 1240, the Worcester Synod of England forbade chess to the clergy and the monastic orders.

In 1254, King Louis IX issued a religious edict forbidding chess as a useless and boring game.

In 1260, King Henry III instructed the clergy to leave chess alone.

Around 1280, chess moralities were written which began as sermons.  These chess moralities rivaled the Bible in popularity and number of printings.

In 1291, the Archbishop of Canterbury threatened to put the prior and canons on a diet of bread and water unless they desisted from playing chess.

Priests were forbidden to play chess up to 1299.

In 1310, chess was forbidden to the clergy in Germany in a decree from the Council of Trier.

In 1328, some Jewish leaders allowed chess to be played, but not for money or gambling.

In 1329, chess was banned by the clergy in the Synod of Wurzburg in Germany.

In 1375, King Charles V of France, under the influence of the church, prohibited chess.

By 1500, chess was a recognized pastime for Jews on the Sabbath.

In 1551, leading clerics of Russia compiled the Stoglav Collection which included the prohibition of chess.

In the 16th century, St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) was proclaimed patroness of chess players by church authorities in Spain.

In the late 16th century, clergymen in Russia associated chess with witchcraft and heresy.

The Puritans greatly disliked chess and discouraged any chess play.

In 1981, chess was forbidden in Iran by Ayatollah Khomeini.   It was allowed by the Ayatollah in 1988.

Chess was forbidden by the Taliban in Afghanistan for 15 years.  It was banned by Mullah Mohammad Omar.

Once again we can see how lucky we are and how easy it is to take advantage of something as simple as a board game. There are people in the world today who do not even have the right to play a game. Whenever times get tough or you think a parent or school rule is unfair, just remember how tough some children have it in other parts of the world and what they would do to be able to play a game.

Citations:

Zainab Mahmood. “Endgame? The Legality of Chess in Islam.” 2005 http://www.askasia.org/teachers/essays/essay.php?no=82  

Bill Wall.  ”Religion and Chess” 06/02/2007 http://www.chess.com/article/view/religion-and-chess