Rules for play with blind and visually disabled players (FIDE)

Taking effect from 1 January 2018

Appendix D. FIDE Laws of Chess

D.1 The organiser, after consulting the arbiter, shall have the power to adapt the following rules according to local circumstances. In competitive chess between sighted and visually disabled (legally blind) players either player may demand the use of two boards, the sighted player using a normal board, the visually disabled player using one specially constructed. Thisboard must meet the following requirements:

D.1.1 measure at least 20 cm by 20 cm,

D.1.2 have the black squares slightly raised,

D.1.3 have a securing aperture in each square,

D.1.4 The requirements for the pieces are:

D.1.4.1 all are provided with a peg that fits into the securing aperture of the board,

D.1.4.2 all are of Staunton design, the black pieces being specially marked.

D.2 The following regulations shall govern play:

D.2.1 The moves shall be announced clearly, repeated by the opponent and executed on his chessboard. When promoting a pawn, the player must announce which piece is chosen. To make the announcement as clear as possible, the use of the following names is suggested instead of the corresponding letters:
A – Anna
B – Bella
C – Cesar
D – David
E – Eva
F – Felix
G – Gustav
H – Hector
Unless the arbiter decides otherwise, ranks from White to Black shall be given the German numbers
1 – eins
2 – zwei
3 – drei
4 – vier
5 – fuenf
6 – sechs
7 – sieben
8 – acht
Castling is announced “Lange Rochade” (German for long castling) and “Kurze Rochade” (German for short castling).
The pieces bear the names: Koenig, Dame, Turm, Laeufer, Springer, Bauer.

D.2.2 On the visually disabled player’s board a piece shall be considered ‘touched’ when it has been taken out of the securing aperture.

D.2.3 A move shall be considered ‘made’ when:

D.2.3.1 in the case of a capture, the captured piece has been removed from the board of the player whose turn it is to move,

D.2.3.2 a piece has been placed into a different securing aperture,

D.2.3.3 the move has been announced.

D.2.4 Only then shall the opponent’s clock be started.

D.2.5 As far as points D.2.2 and D.2.3 are concerned, the normal rules are valid for the sighted player.

D.2.6.1 A specially constructed chessclock for the visually disabled shall be admissible. It should be able to announce the time and number of moves to the visually disabled player.

D.6.2.2 Alternatively an analogue clock with the following features may be considered:

D.2.6.2.1 a dial fitted with reinforced hands, with every five minutes marked by one raised dot, and every 15 minutes by two raised dots, and

D.2.6.2.2 a flag which can be easily felt; care should be taken that the flag is so arranged as to allow the player to feel the minute hand during the last five minutes of the full hour.

D.2.7 The visually disabled player must keep score of the game in Braille or longhand, or record the moves on a recording device.

D.2.8 A slip of the tongue in the announcement of a move must be corrected immediately and before the clock of the opponent is started.

D.2.9 If during a game different positions should arise on the two boards, they must be corrected with the assistance of the arbiter and by consulting both players’ game scores. If the two game scores correspond with each other, the player who has written the correct move but made the wrong one must adjust his position to correspond with the move on the game scores. When the game scores are found to differ, the moves shall be retraced to the point where the two scores agree, and the arbiter shall readjust the clocks accordingly.

D.2.10 The visually disabled player shall have the right to make use of an assistant who shall have any or all of the following duties:

D.2.10.1 making either player’s move on the board of the opponent,

D.2.10.2 announcing the moves of both players,

D.2.10.3 keeping the game score of the visually disabled player and starting his opponent’s clock

D.2.10.4 informing the visually disabled player, only at his request, of the number of moves completed and the time used up by both players,

D.2.10.5 claiming the game in cases where the time limit has been exceeded and informing the arbiter when the sighted player has touched one of his pieces,

D.2.10.6 carrying out the necessary formalities in cases where the game is adjourned.

D.2.11 If the visually disabled player does not make use of an assistant, the sighted player may make use of one who shall carry out the duties mentioned in points D.2.10.1 and D.2.10.2. An assistant must be used in the case of a visually disabled player paired with a hearing impaired player.