The purpose of the United States Braille Chess Association (USBCA) is to actively encourage and assist in the promotion and advancement of correspondence and over-the-board chess among chess enthusiasts who are blind or visually impaired.
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the U.S. Braille Chess Association has a listserv. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail message to:
US_BCA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
You will receive confirmation from the listserv software.
Frequently Asked Questions
USBCA members enjoy the following benefits:
Current Correspondence Ratingsplaying friendly games against other USBCA members to get more practice and experience. Challenge a member to a game.
USBCA Vice-president Alan Dicey and member Woody Anna Dresner discussed how blind people play chess and the USBCA on an It's All About Sports broadcast in May 2008. Select this link to download the show.
playing chess tournaments by e-mail or online in real-time chat rooms or by Skype against other players of about the same strength.
Here are some tactile or adaptive chess sets used by blind players.
Here are some accessible computer chess programs.
Challenger the magazine of the U.S. Braille Chess Association.
Read the January 2010 issue of Challenger.
access to a library of chess materials in braille, on cassette and on computer disk.
an annual over-the-board championship tournament sanctioned by the United States Chess Federation.
Winners of previous U.S. Braille Chess Association TournamentsResults and games of past tournaments
the Rules of Chess Rules for Tournament Play with and between Blind Players Donate to UsThe USBCA expresses our appreciation for the valuable contributions made to our organization by these three gentlemen. We sincerely thank you for your efforts to enhance our chess experience.
If you are blind or visually impaired, you can enroll in two free-of-charge correspondence chess courses. Learn the basics of this great game, and then learn some strategy and tactics to improve on your basic skills. Braille and cassette course materials are available. You will receive a free, adapted chess set. Upon conpletion of the two courses, you will receive a free, 2-year membership in the USBCA. For more information, contact the Hadley School for the Blind, (800) 323-4238, or visit their web site
Membership in the USBCA costs $15 for two years. All members must be legally blind or totally blind. To join, or for more information, contact:
Jay Leventhal, Secretary