[blindkid] Braille Chess Sets

dhammelia at aol.com dhammelia at aol.com
Tue Sep 13 16:19:48 UTC 2011


I have not seen a Chess set with the algebraic markings on the edge.  I'm not sure if they are necessary.

Here is a web site for the United States Braille Chess Association.  http://www.americanblindchess.org/

I looked through their set offerings and they are all the conventional ones with raised squares and pegs.

we made our own set by buying two different chess sets one wood the other metal and using velcro on the bottom of the pieces and on the squares.

We used round velcro for the white and square for the black.

If you teach using the older descriptive notation rather than the algebraic it might be more self evident.

i.e.  Pawn to King 4,  Knight to Rook 3 etc.  Vs e2-e4 and Nb1-a3.

When I have taught chess to sighted people I never used the pieces with the directions on them I don't see them as greatly helpful either.

The Knight move is the most difficult to understand for a beginner.  The concept of 2 up or back and 1 left or right or 1 up or back and 2 left or right takes a little time to explain.

The best way to learn is to just start out playing and learn theory later.

I'm not blind but I used to be able to play two games simultaneously blindfolded.  It just takes a little time to get used to the movement of the pieces and familiarity with the game.

Later I would suggest that you just get a board with sufficient border to put Braille labels on.



Dave Hammel






-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Holloway <rholloway at gopbc.org>
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children) <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tue, Sep 13, 2011 10:32 am
Subject: [blindkid] Braille Chess Sets


Kendra is learning to play chess in Chess Club at school. I'm trying to 
mprovise a teaching set for her. We already have a set with markings to tell 
lack from white with peg-style pieces that go into holes so they don't slide 
ff the board.
The main problem is that it has no rank and file numbers & letters and the board 
t too small to fit them in dymo tape or the like. Also, I have seen some 
teaching sets" (for sighted players) with indications of the way the pieces 
ove on the base. 
Surely a similar set is available with raised indications of the moves or a 
uick braille reminder on the base?
I'm wondering what anyone here may have run across before I try and attack a 
arger set and board with a hot glue gun and a roll of dymo tape for the 
raille. The rank and file markings have to be accomplished one way or another 
f noting else as she needs them to follow discussions of strategies and to be 
ertain she is on the correct location. I'm sure she could get by without that 
s some cases, but it slows her down to count over the spaces over and over and 
he needs the same info that the other kids have anyhow. 
Surely someone has already created a better solution that will look better (and 
e a lot less hassle for me too?)
Thanks!
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