Blind Chess Olympiad
Encyclopedia
The Blind Chess Olympiad is an international chess
competition for the blind in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event takes place every four years, and is sponsored by the International Braille Chess Association
. The Blind Chess Olympiad is the largest sporting event in the international field of chess for the visually impaired.
held in Rheinbreitbach
, Germany in 1958. The winner of the event was Reginald Walter Bonham, who would found the International Braille Chess Association. The first official Blind Chess Olympiad was held in 1961 in Meschede
, Germany. Eight teams competed to play 122 games in round-robin
format with Team Yugoslavia
as the resulting winner. For the third Blind Chess Olympiad in 1968, held in Weymouth, England, 20 teams competed. Russia won the event with Yugoslavia in second place. The Polish team arrived by train in the early hours of the morning bringing with them the body of their sighted translator who had died en route (Reference: Organizer, John Graham).
By the 2008 13th Blind Chess Olympiad in Heraklion
, Crete
, 34 teams participated
making the Blind Chess Olympiad the most significant sporting event in the international field of chess for the blind to date.
, there are a few modifications to the equipment to allow the blind and visually impaired to compete:
After making every move, each player is required to announce their move aloud to their opponent. Instead of writing the moves on a chess score sheet, the visually impaired player writes the moves in Braille
or records the moves on a tape recorder
.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
competition for the blind in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event takes place every four years, and is sponsored by the International Braille Chess Association
International Braille Chess Association
The International Braille Chess Association is organization for blind and visually impaired chess players. The IBCA is a FIDE-affiliated chess organization as well as a part of the International Blind Sports Federation. The International Braille Chess Association was formed in 1948 by Reginald...
. The Blind Chess Olympiad is the largest sporting event in the international field of chess for the visually impaired.
History
The forerunner to the Blind Chess Olympiads was a blind chess tournamentChess tournament
A chess tournament is a series of chess games played competitively to determine a winning individual or team. Since the first international chess tournament in London, 1851, chess tournaments have become the standard form of chess competition among serious players.Today, the most recognized chess...
held in Rheinbreitbach
Rheinbreitbach
Rheinbreitbach is a municipality in the district of Neuwied, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. A locality of Rheinbreitbach is Breite Heide....
, Germany in 1958. The winner of the event was Reginald Walter Bonham, who would found the International Braille Chess Association. The first official Blind Chess Olympiad was held in 1961 in Meschede
Meschede
Meschede is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis.-Geography:Meschede is situated in the Ruhr valley, near to the Hennesee, south of the nature-park Arnsberger Wald...
, Germany. Eight teams competed to play 122 games in round-robin
Round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
format with Team Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
as the resulting winner. For the third Blind Chess Olympiad in 1968, held in Weymouth, England, 20 teams competed. Russia won the event with Yugoslavia in second place. The Polish team arrived by train in the early hours of the morning bringing with them the body of their sighted translator who had died en route (Reference: Organizer, John Graham).
By the 2008 13th Blind Chess Olympiad in Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, 34 teams participated
making the Blind Chess Olympiad the most significant sporting event in the international field of chess for the blind to date.
Rule modifications
Although most of the rules in blind chess are consistent with normal chessRules of chess
The rules of chess are rules governing the play of the game of chess. While the exact origins of chess are unclear, modern rules first took form during the Middle Ages. The rules continued to be slightly modified until the early 19th century, when they reached essentially their current form. The...
, there are a few modifications to the equipment to allow the blind and visually impaired to compete:
- All the black squares are raised about 3–4 mm above the white squares on the chessboardChessboardA chessboard is the type of checkerboard used in the board game chess, and consists of 64 squares arranged in two alternating colors...
. By feeling the squares, the player is able to determine whether the square is a black or a white one. - Each of the squares on the board has a hole in the center so that the chess pieceChess pieceChess pieces or chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. The pieces vary in abilities, giving them different values in the game...
s 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.
- All the black pieces have a pin fixed on their heads helping the player distinguish between a white and a black piece.
After making every move, each player is required to announce their move aloud to their opponent. Instead of writing the moves on a chess score sheet, the visually impaired player writes the moves in Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
or records the moves on a tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
.
Past results
| # | Year | City | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1961 | Meschede Meschede Meschede is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the district Hochsauerlandkreis.-Geography:Meschede is situated in the Ruhr valley, near to the Hennesee, south of the nature-park Arnsberger Wald... , Germany |
|
| 2 | 1964 | Kühlungsborn Kühlungsborn Kühlungsborn is a Seebad town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the Baltic Sea coast, 11 km northwest of Bad Doberan, and 25 km northwest of Rostock.... , Germany |
|
| 3 | 1968 | Weymouth, United Kingdom | |
| 4 | 1972 | Pula Pula Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,... , Croatia |
|
| 5 | 1976 | Kuortane Kuortane Kuortane is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water... , Finland |
|
| 6 | 1980 | Noordwijkerhout Noordwijkerhout Noordwijkerhout is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 23.40 km² and had a population of 15,121 in May 2006... , Netherlands |
|
| 7 | 1985 | Benidorm Benidorm Benidorm is a coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain, by the Western Mediterranean.... , Spain |
|
| 8 | 1988 | Zalaegerszeg Zalaegerszeg In 2001 Zalaegerszeg had 61,654 inhabitants . The distribution of religions were, 71.1% Roman Catholic, 3.8% Calvinist, 1.6% Lutheran, 11.6% Atheist .-Notable people:* Lajos Botfy , mayor... , Hungary |
|
| 9 | 1992 | Majorca, Spain | |
| 10 | 1996 | Laguna Laguna, Santa Catarina Laguna is a Brazilian city located in the southern state of Santa Catarina, 120 kilometers south of the state's capital, Florianópolis, and north east of Porto Alegre. Its coordinates are 28.48/28°28'57" S and the longitude is 48.779/48°46'51" W. In 2004, the population was 48,956 and the area was... , Brazil |
|
| 11 | 2000 | Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a... , Poland |
|
| 12 | 2004 | Tarragona Tarragona Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona... , Spain |
|
| 13 | 2008 | Heraklion Heraklion Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece.... , Greece |