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Why did some medieval kings and religious leaders ban chess?

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A chessboard showing the standard starting position for a game, with white and black pieces arranged in two rows on each side: rooks, knights, bishops, queen, and king on the back row, and pawns in front. — chess Position of chess pieces at the beginning of a game. The pieces are placed on the two ranks closest to the player. In the closest rank, pieces are arranged from left to right: rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, and rook. In front of that rank, each square has a pawn.

During the Middle Ages, chess was frequently associated with dice games and gambling, leading to periodic bans by various authorities. For instance, King Louis IX of France officially forbade the game in 1254.1

While these prohibitions were intended to curb the perceived vices associated with gaming, they were often ineffective. The game maintained significant social cachet, as owning a chess set was viewed as a symbol of wealth, knowledge, and power. Consequently, despite opposition from some religious and secular leaders, chess remained a favorite pastime among European royalty, including English kings such as Henry I, Henry II, and Richard I, as well as monarchs like Alfonso X (the Wise) of Spain and Ivan IV (the Terrible) of Russia. By the 15th century, it had become widely known as the "royal game".1