eyeway.org : inform : sports : indoors : chess

You are at eyeway.org : inform : sports : indoors : chess

A chess board for blind chess players. Each square has a hole in the centre to hold the pieces. The black squares are raised a little and black pieces have a pin on their heads. Chess

Summary

Blind chess is played with almost the same rules as conventional chess. There are a few modifications made to the equipment though as mentioned below :

1. All the black squares are raised about 3-4 mm above the white squares. By feeling the squares, the player is able to determine whether the square is a black or a white one.

2. Each of the squares on the board has a hole in the centre so that the pieces can be fixed in these holes. Each of the pieces has a downward projection (nail) at the base, which fits into the hole in the squares on the board, thereby fixing the piece securely on the board.

4. All the black pieces have a pin fixed on their heads helping the player distinguish between a white and a black piece.

A blind chess player feels the board to plan his next move. The players therefore, by feeling the raised or the lowered squares can figure out whether the piece is on a black or a white square. By feeling the shape of the piece, they can determine whether the piece is a Pawn, Rook, Bishop, Knight, Queen or King. The touch of the pin on the pieces helps the player from distinguishing a white piece from a black one. The player is therefore able to have a clear picture in his mind of the position on the board. He is now ready to take on any opponent, sighted or otherwise.

After making every move, the visually impaired person is required to announce the move aloud, so that his opponent comes to know of the move. Instead of writing the moves on a score sheet, the visually impaired player writes the moves in braille or records the moves on a tape recorder.

History

National

The All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB) was established in 1997 with the objective of promoting the game of chess among the visually impaired all over the country.

The AICFB is affiliated to the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA), and through this affiliation has been able to integrate India with the rest of the world with respect to chess for the blind.

Click here to read more about the All India Chess Federation for the Blind

International

International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) was formed in 1948 on the initiative of a blind chess-player from England, R. W. Bonham. The Association was established by representatives from nine Western European countries. The Association has existed for many years now. It has grown to such an extent that today it is a world organisation, including over 50 member countries from all continents. Delfin Burdio Gracia from Spain is the president of the Association.

The main purpose of the Association is to make chess more popular among the blind and to organiee international chess competitions. The most important events (which are organized regularly) are:

chess olympiads: they are organized every four years;
team world cup: also organized every four years; 12 best teams from the olympiad preceding the cup take part in it

Apart from that, every four years, Individual World Championships, Individual World Championships for Women, and World Championships for under-21's are organised.

In 1964 FIDE (an international chess organisation) officially stated that IBCA is one of the organisations cooperating with FIDE. In 1994 IBCA has become the legal member of FIDE. The international team consisting of blind players was allowed to take part in chess olympiads for the sighted people, organised according to international rules.

FIDE organises olympiads every two years. Teams from IBCA have already taken part in them four times (Moscow 1994, Yerevan 1996, and Elista 1998, Istanbul 2000).

Presently IBCA has been recognised as a part of IBSA (International Blind Sportsmen Association).

The I.B.S.A. Chess Technical Sub-committee is formed by:

Delfn Burdo Gracia (Spain), President
Ludwig Beutelhoff (Germany), First Vice President
Teresa Debowska (Poland), General Secretary

I.B.S.A. Chess memberrs

Frantisek Blatny (Czech Republic), arbiter
Januario Pereira do Couto (Brazil)
AICFB, Charudatta V. Jadhav (India)
Hans-Gerd Schaefer (Germany), postal chess

Rules and regulations

Click here for a detailed version of rules and regulations for blind chess

Records / Landmarks

International

Click here to see results from past international events in blind chess

Click here to see results and games from the 2004 U.S. Blind Players Championship Tournament

Click here to see results and games from the 2003 U.S. Blind Players' Championship

Click here to see the U.S. Braille Chess Association Correspondence Ratings

Contact information

National

Mr. Charudatta V Jadhav
General Secretary
All India Chess Federation for the Blind
C/605, Bhakti Complex,
Kandar Pada Link Road,
Dahisar (West), Mumbai 400068
INDIA
Phone : +91-(0)22-28955774
Fax:+91-(0)22-28955774

For a list of the state wise units affiliated with the All India Chess Federation for the Blind click here

International

Delfín Burdío
President
International Association for Blind and visually Impaired
Avenida de Aguilera, 45
03007 Alicante
Spain
Phone: 0034965102144
Fax: 0034965115527
E-mail: ib316564@public.ibercaja.es