World Sight Day: Chess perspective
World Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday of October, is an international day of awareness to draw attention to global eye health issues, blindness and visual impairment. Chess is a game for everyone and is widely played by visually impaired people.
There is a special organization that governs chess for the blind and visually impaired people, International Braille Chess Association (IBCA). It is affiliated with FIDE and regularly holds IBCA world championships. The 2023 IBCA Individual World Chess Championship for Blind and Visually Impaired will take place in Greece.
Braille chess board has special modifications that help visually impaired players. All the black squares are elevated a few millimetres to be easily identified by touch, and each of the squares has a hole in the centre in which pieces are sturdily fixed with the help of nails in their bases.