Three Afghan chess players detained at the border after the Olympiad in Samarkand

Following the conclusion of the World Chess Olympiad hosted by the city of Samarkand, an emergency incident occurred that alarmed the international sports community. Three out of four members of the Afghan national team, who participated in the prestigious competition in Uzbekistan and returned to their homeland, were detained by security forces at the state border.

As it turned out, the arrest of the chess players was caused by the official ban on this intellectual sport within the country.

"They confiscated our passports and locked us in separate rooms"

One of the athletes, who managed to contact the influential Spanish publication EL PAÍS, briefly reported on the situation at the border and the current state of affairs:

• Solitary confinement: "They confiscated our passports and locked the three of us in separate rooms," the Afghan chess player stated;

• House arrest in Kabul: Currently, the three detained athletes are being held under house arrest in Kabul, and their future remains unknown;

• One athlete crossed successfully: The fourth member of the national team was the only one who passed through the border checkpoint without any obstacles or problems.

The ban on chess and the intervention of FIDE leadership

The situation regarding chess in Afghanistan escalated in May 2025:

• Ban under religious pretext: In May 2025, the country's government strictly banned playing chess under the pretext of religious beliefs and Sharia norms. Therefore, the athletes' trip to the prestigious Olympiad in Samarkand was assessed as a violation of the official government ban;

• Reaction of the International Chess Federation: The newly elected president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Timur Turlov, stated that he is fully aware of the situation and that necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safety of the Afghan chess players and positively resolve the arisen diplomatic tension.

World sports organizations and human rights activists are closely monitoring the fate of the grandmasters who are being held accountable for practicing sports.