Courage is stated to be grace under pressure. But two men/women, brow knit in concentration facing each other with a chess board in between cannot be stated to be engaged in a courageous act.
No, they are when the game is played in the craggy mountainous land of Afghanistan these days . Chess has been banned in this country which has often been in the news for the wrong reasons.
The ban on playing chess is one more step which is actually a part of a backward march. The game with all its strategies and sacrifices is a small scale battle with peaceful means.
It is a game for generals. And as the pawn attacks the queen, the scene is quite reminiscent of a foot soldier lobbing a hand grenade into a tank. Chess was banned earlier under the Taliban regime. That was way back in 1996.
Now post a regime change, chess is considered as a form of gambling. Knowing the ways punishment for defiance of the present dispensation is meted out, only the bravest may play it now.
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What is being overlooked is the path to a better life is being severed. There is a 500-odd chess players in Afghanistan.
They may or may not have risked their lives in combat or confrontation which can be fatal in this country. But now they would be picking up the gauntlet if they sit down with a chess board.
Time was when supported by the state, chess players participated in tournaments. The game was then a welcome diversion with two players pitting their wits across a chequered board with 32 black and white pieces on it was a common sight.
The ban on chess is stated to be a “temporary suspension”. But the word temporary has fooled no one.There is no timeline for lifting the suspension. Many professional players are leaving the country.
Another fundamental freedom is under siege. There are no signs of it being lifted in near future. The ban on chess is a regression, plain and simple. For one more freedom is being taken away from those who have lost so many of their rights.
