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Chess

Chess is a mind sport played between two players.

Get Involved

An Overview of Chess

Chess is a mind sport played between two players. A player wins by obtaining a decisive material advantage or by delivering check mate, i.e. putting the opponent's king in a situation where it is in check and cannot make a legal move.

Sometimes chess puzzle competitions are held in which competitors are presented with positions on a board drawn up in advance and try to find a way to deliver checkmate in a set number of moves.

Involvement

You can search for local chess clubs in your local area by visiting the English Chess Federation website. Alternatively, you can contact the Braille Chess Association (BCA). You don't have to be able to read braille to join.

The BCA can offer coaching and instructional material. The best way to progress is to play the game, and the BCA offers opportunities to play over-the-board, by correspondence, by email and by other online means e.g. Skype.

Adaptations and Equipment

You'll need an adapted chess set. The traditional way of making a chess set accessible it to put pegs in the bottom of pieces which then fit into holes in the middle of squares on the board. Black squares are raised to distinguish them from white squares. Periodically sets become available where the pieces have magnets instead of pegs.

Those playing in a tournament use a talking digital clock which tells player how much time they and their opponent have left to make their moves.

Chess can be played by visually impaired people pretty much on equal terms with their fully sighted counterparts. A game involving a visually impaired player is played on two boards. The visually impaired player looks after their adapted set and their opponent looks after a standard set. All moves are made on both boards, and players must announce their moves to their opponent.

Find Chess Clubs/Groups Near You

Use the search below to find local organisations near you.

SASP Sport Welfare Officers Forum

SASP Sport Welfare Officers Forum

A online meeting for Sports Club Welfare & Safeguarding Officers based in Somerset.

You're invited to attend our club welfare forum for anyone involved in sport and physical activity in Somerset, but in particular those in your clubs who hold the role of 'club welfare officer' or 'safeguarding lead'.

If you're the Safeguarding or Welfare Officer at your Sports Club, please join Tracey Sweetland, Somerset Sport Welfare Officer at SASP to learn about local support and opportunities to assist you in your volunteer role.