Monday 20 May 2013

Blind Chess

Blind Chess is not quite the same as Blindfold Chess. In the latter a sighted player plays without sight of the board, while in Blind Chess, the players are visually impaired.
For those that have played at the SIO or various NSW Country events, Alex Momot is an example of a blind chess player, while Ted Bullockus, who played in the Doeberl Cup in the 1990's was legally blind, although he did have partial sight. And in last years Chess Olympiad, the team representing the International Blind Chess Association finished 44th winning 5 matches (including one against New Zealand), drawing 3 and losing 3.
Blind Chess is particularly popular in India, and there is now a documentary on the subject. "Algorithms: Four moves in, we are all blind" is being shown at the upcoming Sydney International Chess Film Festival. It follows 4 blind chess players from India for 3 years, leading up to their participation in the World Junior Blind Chess Championship.
The premier of the film is 6:00 pm Thursday 6th of June at the Dendy Opera Quays Cinema in Sydney, while there is a repeat showing at 4pm on Saturday Sunday 9th June. If you want to find out more about the film before seeing it (including watching the trailer) then visit the film's website at http://www.algorithmsthedocumentary.com/

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