Chess is a sport where blind players can compete against any ordinary player with ease, and some of the visually impaired chess players can give players with vision a run for their money. So, the question is how do these players manage to play the game even with their visual impairment? Well, it’s innovative and also motivating.
A special chess board for the blind players is used where the squares on the braille board are lifted and have dots on them to identify the particular squares on the board. The black and white pieces are also differentiated by special squares made on the pieces. This way the player can identify his piece and his opponent’s.
It is rightly said that in chess, every player goes blind after the first three moves. It is all up to the mind and its calculations after that and it is the same strategy used by blind chess player.
They touch the pieces on their special boards to keep a check on the changing positions and ponder their next move. They then use their chess knowledge to play like any other player.
During a match, the two players have to call out their moves so that the blind player can keep a track of what’s happening in the game and vice-versa. There is a special clock for the game which speaks out each player’s time. This way the players without visual impairments cannot take advantage of the blind player. These are some of the special rules recommended by the world body FIDE which needs to be followed by every player playing against a blind player.
There are also special tape recorders for the blind players to record their games as writing on ordinary score-sheets would not be possible for them. This way they still have a saved copy of their game to analyse with their coach after the game is over. This helps them in rectifying their mistakes and develop new strategies to become better.
These players use technology with ease, and also know how to play on the computer and have specialised computers for them to use. Their training methods are also unique as their routine mostly comprises listening to lectures. Their retention power is so strong that they don’t even need their vision to play the game or train for it.
Blind chess in India is growing quite rapidly. A documentary film called Algorithms was made on the lives of three blind players in India, one of whom is the genius Darpan Inani, who is a World Junior Bronze Medallist.
This film is a must watch for anyone who wishes to explore the unique world of chess. The All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB) is also promoting the game in a big way by conducting regular tournaments for these blind players. There is a separate National ‘A’ and National ‘B’ championship held for blind chess players who are also given the opportunity to represent the country at the international level.
Blind chess is interestingly also played by the super grandmasters. In fact, Magnus Carlsen, the world No. 1 beat 20 players at the Harvard University, while playing blindfolded.
This form of chess is unique and the potential of the sport in India hasn’t been realised yet. An organisation which is supporting this cause is the National Association of the Blind in New Delhi, which runs a special training program for its students in chess, while Project Checkmate is another organisation which is helping blind players improve their game.
With the combined efforts of both the organisations, the students have managed to win national medals and one student has even got his international FIDE Rating, a stepping stone to success in the world of chess.
