Blind Chess Olympiad

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The Blind Chess Olympiad is an international chess competition for the blind in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. [1] The event takes place every four years, and is sponsored by the International Braille Chess Association. [1] The Blind Chess Olympiad is the largest sporting event in the international field of chess for the visually impaired. [2]

Contents

History

The forerunner to the Blind Chess Olympiads was a blind chess tournament held in Rheinbreitbach, Germany, in 1958. The winner of the event was Reginald Walter Bonham, who would found the International Braille Chess Association. [3] The first official Blind Chess Olympiad was held in 1961 in Meschede, Germany. Eight teams competed to play 122 games in round-robin format with Team Yugoslavia as the resulting winner. [1] [4] For the third Blind Chess Olympiad in 1968, held in Weymouth, England, 20 teams competed. Russia won the event with Yugoslavia in second place. The Polish team arrived by train in the early hours of the morning bringing with them the body of their sighted translator who had died en route (Reference: Organizer, John Graham). By the 2008 13th Blind Chess Olympiad in Heraklion, Crete, 34 teams participated, making the Blind Chess Olympiad the most significant sporting event in the international field of chess for the blind to date. [2] [5] [6]

Results

#YearCityWinnerRef
11961 Meschede, GermanyFlag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia [4]
21964 Kühlungsborn, GermanyFlag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia
31968 Weymouth, United KingdomFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
41972 Pula, CroatiaFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
51976 Kuortane, FinlandFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
61980 Noordwijkerhout, NetherlandsFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
71985 Benidorm, SpainFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
81988 Zalaegerszeg, HungaryFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
91992 Majorca, SpainFlag of Russia (1991-1993).svg  Russia
101996 Laguna, BrazilFlag of Russia.svg  Russia
112000 Zakopane, PolandFlag of Russia.svg  Russia
122004 Tarragona, SpainFlag of Poland.svg  Poland
132008 Heraklion, GreeceFlag of Russia.svg  Russia
142012 Chennai, IndiaFlag of Russia.svg  Russia
152017 Ohrid, North MacedoniaFlag of Russia.svg  Russia
162021 Rhodes, GreeceFlag of Russia.svg  Russia [7]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Blind Chess Olympiads History Retrieved September 7, 2009
  2. 1 2 XIII Olympiad for Blind and Visually Impaired Chess Players Archived August 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved September 7, 2009
  3. Reginald Walter Bonham at ChessGames.com Retrieved September 7, 2009
  4. 1 2 1st Blind Chess Olympiad: Meschede 1961 Retrieved September 7, 2009
  5. 13th Blind Chess Olympiad: Heraklion 2008 Retrieved September 7, 2009
  6. 13th Blind Chess Olympiad at the Merseyside Chess Association Archived August 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved September 7, 2009
  7. "IBCA Chess Olympiad for Blind and Visually Impaired: Russia carries the day". FIDE. October 29, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.