I do believe that chess offers leverage for all people. Kaptain
Chess and the Blind
How Visually Impaired Play Chess
The Chess Board of 64 squares has the following modifications:
- All the Black squares are raised about 3-4 mm above the white squares. By feeling the squares, the player is able to determine whether the square is a black or a white one.
- Each of the squares on the Board has a hole in the centre so that the pieces can be fixed in these holes.
- Each of the pieces has a downward projection (nail) at the base, which fits into the hole in the squares on the Board, thereby fixing the piece securely on the board.
- All the Black pieces have a pin fixed on their heads helping the player distinguish between a white and a black piece.
The players therefore, by feeling the raised or the lowered squares can figure out whether the piece is on a black or a white square. By feeling the shape of the piece, they can determine whether the piece is a Pawn, Rook, Bishop, Knight, Queen or King. The touch of the pin on the pieces helps the player from distinguishing a white piece from a black one. The player is therefore able to have a clear picture in his mind of the position on the Board. He is now ready to take on any opponent, sighted or otherwise.
After making every move, the visually impaired person is required to announce the move aloud, so that his opponent comes to know of the move. Instead of writing the moves on a Score Sheet, the visually impaired player writes the moves in Braille or records the moves on a tape recorder. …. provided by the IBCA
Chess and Disabilities
Chess and Autism
Autism I have had the pleasure to have had 6 ADM in my class none was pointed out before class began.
The Autism-Genius Connection
Chess champion Magmus Carlsen illustrates social costs of unusual creativity.
Posted May 11, 2017
Some people are exceptionally good at focusing on rarefied abstract problems. Some of these have exceptionally high IQ. Some are autistic. Some are both.
This link was raised in a recent movie (Magnus) chronicling the life of world chess champion Magnus Carlsen, who emphatically denies that he is autistic. This denial is treated skeptically in the movie, however.
Tuning in to a Talent, versus Tuning out Other People
One of the key paradoxes in the lives of highly creative people is that high achievement is promoted by an exclusive focus on some one field of endeavor. Whether it is Edison inventing the electric light bulb, or Beethoven writing a symphony, the capacity to transcend prodigious challenges requires a keen ability to screen out distractions, whether social, or practical. Highly creative people are not inherently asocial, of course, and neither are autistic individuals, whatever problems they might have in negotiating the social landscape.
Even so, tuning in on a talent often requires tuning out other people. In the documentary movie, Magnus, the protagonist spends much of his time absorbed in the world of electronic chess where family members get tuned out. This illustrates the social costs of unusual creativity in any field.
Chess is a social game, of course, and it involves a fair amount of gamesmanship like showing up at the last minute to unsettle an opponent. As in boxing, the confidence game—getting inside an opponent’s head—is often as important as the player’s actual moves.
Chess experts distinguish opening moves that can be memorized to some extent from the middle game that is a great deal more fluid, or improvisational. Carlsen uses a great variety of opening moves, making it difficult for opponents to prepare. He excels in the middle game and overwhelms opponents with creative moves and counter moves. At that point, it is as though an inexperienced sword fighter finds themselves in a duel to the death with a tireless opponent who has buried all previous challengers.
Autistic Savants
Autistic savants are people who suffer from a developmental disability yet demonstrate some cognitive ability, exceeding what most people can do (1). These abilities may involve, art, music, arithmetic, spatial skills, or calendar abilities—where the savant can determine what day of the week some date is with speed and accuracy. About half of savants are autistic, the others suffering from some form of brain injury or disease. About a tenth of autistic people have savant abilities.
Another common skill manifested by savants is prodigious feats of memory. As a small child, Carlsen amused himself by memorizing the capital cities, and flags, of all the countries of the world. Such narrow and intense focus is characteristic of autism, as is his ongoing preoccupation with Donald Duck movies.
Individuals with autism spectrum condition often exhibit unusual skills in attention and perception relative to the general public (2). This might be helpful in memorizing chess moves. In fact, this capacity—that is uniquely developed in autistic individuals—may be a key to developing unusual talents.
Autism and Talent
Exceptional talent in autistic individuals may begin with sensory hypersensitivity that makes many uncomfortable in proximity to loud noises, for example (2). They have great attention to detail and organize the perceptual world to an unusual degree—a phenomenon referred to as hyper-systematizing.
This propensity even affects observable behavior where daily routines are repeated in exactly the same way. Even small children express a craving for organization by arranging their toys in neat lines.
Hyper-systematizing propensities may be expressed in savant-like activities, such as calendar abilities that are not very socially useful, or they may contribute to socially-celebrated achievements in the visual arts, or chess. Whether Carlsen is on the autistic spectrum or not, his exceptional chess skills at least bear analogy with the accomplishments of autistic savants.
Adaptive Significance
At present, the brain basis of autism is poorly understood and the same is even more true of savant abilities. One of the great mysteries of brain development is the way that even as some capacities are sharpened—as a youngster acquires efficient contact with the social and non social environment—others are tuned down.
This phenomenon is illustrated by savant abilities of attention, and memory and the autistic trait of hyper-systematization, that are far less developed in people outside the autistic spectrum. This speaks to compromises and limitations in brain development and function.
The same general principle applies to adult brain function. For example, the decay of some old memories may improve brain function by getting rid of clutter. Similarly, inattention to details that are perceived as trivial may be an inevitable side effect of having a brain that sorts events according to their emotional significance so that beautiful strangers walking down the street are more likely to register than their less attractive counterparts.
The great range of human cognitive capacities suggests that there is no single optimum when it comes to brain development, or function. Some people function well despite having limited capacity for memorization whereas others have almost unlimited recall. Some are exceptionally good at attending to details whereas others quickly get bored.
Given that boredom is a leading problem in the workforce, employers are discovering that autistic people make ideal employees in some jobs, including human resources, benefits administration, and coding where attention to detail is very important. This is an everyday example of the specialized autistic abilities that contribute to more glamorous achievements in art, chess, and music.
The first Olympiad for People with Disabilities: A milestone for chess
The first-ever Chess Olympiad for people with disabilities represents a historic event for FIDE and the chess world. Over 100 players from 33 countries will gather in Belgrade, Serbia, making a landmark moment for the chess world as the Chess Olympiad for people with disabilities becomes a part of the Chess Olympiad family.
From the 29th of January to the 5th of February the Serbian capital will host the first chess Olympiad for people with disabilities. This is a watershed moment for the chess world as it inaugurates the biggest chess event dedicated to people with disabilities.
Thirty-three countries and three international squads have registered to take part in this team competition. They are led by Poland, the winner of the 2020 Online Olympiad for people with disabilities, and Hungary, the two highest-rated teams.
A historic event
At the end of 2020, FIDE organized the world’s first Online Olympiad for people who have disabilities. In November 2021, the 4th FIDE World Championship for people with disabilities was held online, with the participation of 249 players from 44 different countries. Moving from online to the over-the-board format has been one of the priorities of the International Chess Federation.
Following the success of the First Online Olympiad for people with disabilities and the World Championship, FIDE focused on the ambition of organizing this competition live, in person or, as the chess community calls it — over the board.
Empowering people with disabilities
While teams from the IPCA, IBCA, and ICCD have traditionally been invited to compete in the Chess Olympiad, FIDE believes that having their own dedicated international tournament will allow many more people with disabilities to meet, connect, compete, and enjoy a chess event in the true Olympic spirit
“Chess is a unique sport where disabled people can reach a high professional level and flourish both as players and as individuals. We want to encourage that further! FIDE is fully dedicated to making chess inclusive and accessible to everyone. In particular, we want to give the deserved spotlight to those who face different daily challenges than most of us, and whose inspiration to rise should be noted, respected and celebrated”, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said.
Dvorkovich noted that despite difficult times, FIDE has managed to pull through and fulfil its commitment to organizing this Olympiad. He added that this is one of the most important events for FIDE this year and one of our key priorities in the long run. He added:
While this Olympiad is not on a scale like the traditional Chess Olympiad, it is a hugely important step, and we will do our best to make it a successful one. We hope that over the coming days, players and their team members and assistants, as well as spectators, will truly enjoy the event in Belgrade.
This is a unique opportunity to gain a better understanding of how to work together in making chess truly inclusive and to do our best to overcome any life obstacle so that we all feel the spirit of Gens Una Sumus (FIDE’s moto meaning We are one people) among us.
From the Online to the Over-the-Board Olympiad
The first Online Chess Olympiad for those with disabilities took place from 20th November through 3rd December 2020. It was organized to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The online Olympiad saw 61 teams from 45 countries, with altogether nearly 400 players taking part. Poland took gold after defeating Russia in the final.
The event was hailed as a great success by both the players and the organizers. The real challenge was to get a live, in-person, event – where people can come together.
While this was not possible during the height of the Covid pandemic, as the restrictions and the impact of the virus eased, FIDE made organizing this Chess Olympiad a priority.
Unlike in other chess tournaments, events for people with disabilities or impairments require a slightly different setting: from specialized boards and chess clocks to special score-sheets and audio/visual equipment, to in-person assistance and ease of access as well as more supporting staff and medical support.
FIDE has developed comprehensive guidelines to facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in any official chess competition. These guidelines can be found in the FIDE Handbook.
Serbia — a country with a strong chess tradition and experience in organizing sports events (including two Chess Olympiads) — was chosen to host the inaugural Olympic event. With the support from the Government of Serbia and local companies, and under the auspice of the Serbian Chess Federation, FIDE feels that it has established a strong partnership which can successfully deliver on organising such an important event. The hope is that this Olympiad will serve as a springboard for advancing chess and improving conditions for players with disabilities, by providing them opportunities to voice their opinions and show their flair both on and off the board.
High hopes and a look towards the Paralympics
Grandmaster Thomas Luther is the head of the FIDE Commission for players with disabilities. He had an instrumental role in securing that the first Olympiad for people with disabilities is organized to the standards and the specific needs of the participants.
Photo: Karsten Wieland
“This is an exceptional tournament where the spotlight will be on people with disabilities. We got this idea from the Paralympic movement which is big in the news and is helping people who usually don’t get the spotlight, to show what they can do. We want to make chess part of the Paralympic Games. This is one of the ideas FIDE has and we don’t want to give up on this”, says Thomas.
He has huge hopes for the future of this event: “This is the first time an Olympiad for people with disabilities is being organised. When the first chess Olympiad was organised just 16 nations took part. In the last chess Olympiad in Chennai more than 180 nations took part. In the first Olympiad for the disabled, we have 23 teams and over the years the numbers will surely grow!”
“Chess helped me find my place in life and society”
Despite being born with a physical impairment, Thomas Luther rose to prominence in an incredibly competitive field. He is a three-time German Champion (1993, 2002, 2006) and reached the top 100 in the world ranking with a peak Elo of 2604. He was a part of the German team that won silver in the 34th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul in 2000.
Thomas started to play chess at the age of four and joined a chess club at the age of nine.
“Kids with a disability have a negative outlook on life. Many struggle to find their place. Chess helped me find my place in life. Through chess, I participate in society, and that is the key thing. Even back in the 1970s when I started playing, chess clubs were more inclusive than schools.”
In his view, the social aspect is key for this event.
“Foremost, this is a social event. Despite all the problems these people have in life, they managed to come – some travelling many thousands of miles – and play chess at a decent level. That is just amazing”.
What is specific about this tournament is that all the players will have some sort of disability – the number and type of assistance needed will be huge – from special boards and lighting to mobility and accessibility facilities. “We are ready. In this tournament, we are prepared, and we will care for any problem that may come up”, Thomas notes.
Key regulations and information
The Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities will be played at the Crowne Plaza (4*) Hotel in Belgrade.
Photo: ihg.com
The tournament will be played under the Swiss System, with six rounds.
The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move starting from move one. Default time is 15 minutes.
For more about chess for people with disabilities, you can go to the official website of the Players with Disabilities Commission: dis.fide.com/
You can find more information on the official website: dis-olympiad.fide.com/