How do blind people play chess in tournaments?
A · Advanced · Other forms of play · 6 of 6A blind or visually impaired player may use a second, special board. Each square has a hole, the pieces have pegs, the dark squares are raised and the black pieces are marked. Both players announce their moves aloud. On that board a piece counts as touched only when it is lifted out of its hole.
How it works
- Two boards: either player may demand it. The sighted player uses a normal board.
- The special board: at least 20 cm by 20 cm, dark squares slightly raised, a securing hole in each square.
- The pieces: Staunton design with pegs, the black pieces specially marked.
- Announcing: each move is said aloud, repeated by the opponent and played on both boards.
- Touched: on the special board, when a piece has been taken out of its hole.
- Move made: when the piece is in its new hole, any captured piece is off the board and the move has been announced. Only then is the opponent's clock started.
- Slip of the tongue: must be corrected at once, before the opponent's clock is started.
- Keeping score: in Braille, in longhand or on a recording device.
- The clock: one made for visually impaired players, which can announce the time.
- An assistant: the player may use one to make moves, announce them, keep score and press the clock.
The glossary has the touch-move rule, the chess clock, the notation, the arbiter, the board and the pieces.
Tricky cases
The blind player runs their fingers over several pieces before moving. Must the first one move?
No. On the special board a piece is touched only when it is taken out of its securing hole.
The two boards show different positions. Whose is right?
The arbiter corrects it from both players' scoresheets. If the scores agree, the player who wrote the right move and played the wrong one adjusts their board.
Can the sighted player refuse to play with two boards?
No. Either player may demand them. The organiser may adapt the rules to local circumstances after consulting the arbiter.
Can the blind player's assistant suggest a move?
No. The assistant's duties are listed: making and announcing moves, keeping score, pressing the clock, telling the player the time and move count on request, and making claims on time.
Why the rule exists
A blind player reads the board by touch, which the touch-move rule would make impossible. Moving that rule to the moment a piece is lifted from its hole lets the player feel every piece freely. Announcing the moves keeps two boards showing one game.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary board | A piece touched with intent must be moved | FIDE Laws 4.3 |
| Visually disabled player's board | Touched only when lifted from its hole | FIDE Laws D.2.2 |
| Move made | In the hole, capture removed and announced | FIDE Laws D.2.3 |
| No assistant for the visually disabled player | The sighted player may use one to make and announce moves | FIDE Laws D.2.11 |
| Visually disabled against hearing-impaired | An assistant must be used | FIDE Laws D.2.11 |
From the rule book
FIDE, Laws of Chess (approved 7 August 2022, applied from 1 January 2023), Appendix D. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: FIDE Laws of Chess taking effect from 1 January 2023 (FIDE Handbook E.01).