Saudi Arabia's highest religious official rules chess forbidden in Islam

A Syrian and Iranian chess match
(Image credit: Goh Chai Hin/Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia's highest official of religious law has ruled that chess encourages gambling and is "a waste of time and money and a cause for hatred and enmity between players," effectively making the game forbidden in Islam.

The announcement came when the grand mufti Sheikh Abdullah al-Sheikh was on a TV show where viewers send in questions about daily religious matters, The Guardian reports. In making his ruling, Al-Sheikh cited a verse in the Koran that outlaws "intoxicants, gambling, idolatry, and divination." However, chess likely will be considered a minor vice, like music, and frowned upon rather than actively enforced as forbidden.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.