Running an accessible chess tournament

The rules of play for blind and partially sighted players are identical to the ordinary ones. What differs is the equipment and the way move information is exchanged. That matters for an organizer: adaptation is a question of equipment and logistics, not of a separate competition system.

International coordination in chess for the blind is handled by the IBCA, which runs its own competitions, and the FIDE laws contain a separate appendix for players with a visual impairment.

The practical consequence: a mixed event with both blind and sighted players is possible and happens regularly. It only needs preparing in advance.

• A pegged board. Every square has a hole and every piece a peg in its base, so the position can be felt without being knocked over.
• Tactile squares. The dark squares are raised above the light ones, so the colour of a square is identified by touch.
• Tactile pieces.The pieces of one colour carry a marker - a pin or a recess in the top - so a player can tell their own from their opponent's.
• Two boards per game. Each player may have their own: one is played on, the other used for feeling out the position.
• A talking clock. A special design that lets a player learn the time remaining and the number of moves made.

This equipment is produced commercially and held by chess federations and organizations for the blind. For a one-off event it is usually hired or borrowed from such an organization rather than bought.

The key difference is that moves are spoken. A player announces their move aloud and the opponent repeats it on their own board. Algebraic notation is used, with square names pronounced in full for clarity.

Touching a piece on one's own board does not trigger touch-move: feeling the position is a necessary part of the game for a blind player. The move counts as made when the piece is placed on its new square and announced.

The score is kept in Braille, on a recorder or by an assistant. Where several players need one, a single assistant can cover several tables - that is normal practice.

Here the adaptation does not touch the game at all - only the venue. What to check in advance:

• step-free entry or a ramp, and the width of the doorways;
• a lift, if the hall is not on the ground floor;
• an accessible toilet;
• table height - a wheelchair must fit under the top;
• wider gangways between rows, at least a metre;
• space for an assistant beside the table.

If moving the pieces is difficult, an assistant may make the moves as directed by the player. The arbiter decides on that arrangement, and it is better agreed before the event than in round one - arbiting.

Chess is a visual game, so the adaptation is minimal. Two things matter: all key information must be duplicated in writing rather than only announced, and the start of a round must be visible.

• pairings, schedule and announcements on a screen or printed;
• the signal to start given by gesture or light as well as voice;
• in a dispute, the arbiter writes the decision rather than repeating it louder;
• if a sign language interpreter is present, a place beside the organizer's table.

An app helps a great deal here: pairings, tables and colours are visible on every phone, so hearing an announcement is not required at all. In Vibe Chess a player gets their table, colour and opponent as soon as the round is paired, and results are confirmed with a button rather than a conversation.

• Ask in advance. A line on the entry form: «do you need any adaptation, and what». Without it you find out on the day.
• Agree the equipment. Check who brings their own set and who needs yours.
• Place those tables sensibly. Near the entrance with a wide approach, but out of the through traffic.
• Brief the arbiter and the host. Everybody working in the hall should know the arrangements.
• Do not make an occasion of it. Introducing a player from the stage usually embarrasses them. They came to play chess.
• Allow slightly more time per round. Announcing moves aloud slows a game a little.

Where to find players and partners: national and regional associations for blind sport, disability organizations and rehabilitation centres. They usually hold the adapted equipment too.