Chess tournament for visually impaired takes place

Abi Baker used to sail but says she wanted an activity she could do more independently

A chess tournament for blind and visually impaired people that has been running for three decades has attracted players from around the world.

The event organised by the Braille Chess Association is taking place in Bournemouth, Dorset.

Competitor Abi Baker said: "I wanted to find something to do which meant I could be relatively good at it without a huge amount of sighted help."

Taking place in the Marsham Court Hotel until Saturday, Ms Baker is taking on players from as far afield as Austria and the United States.

"If I make a really bad move, it's a product of my own mind - the wind didn't put the piece there," she said.

Each player has their own board so they can keep track of the game by feel

As opposed to sighted chess, which is played on a single board, each player in the tournament has their own board.

Players announce their moves to each other and replicate their opponent's move on their own board.

That allows them to keep track of the board by feel - without having to reach over and touch their opponent's pieces.

The boards are also adapted for visually impaired people, with raised tiles and tactile pieces.

Marilyn Bland from the US travelled to Bournemouth for the competition

One participant, Marilyn Bland, travelled to the event from Texas in the United States.

"I'm enjoying meeting all the people I've been speaking with on Skype over the years," she said.

"I've lost my first game because of an oversight on my part, but I've drawn all my other games, so I'm happy so far."

Organiser John Jenkins' father taught him to play chess until he was able to win against him

John Jenkins has organised four of the tournaments so far.

"I've been playing chess for 70 years now - probably getting slowly worse," he said.

"No game is ever the same - I'd recommend it to anybody, particularly for children, because it teaches them so much about concentration and problem solving.

"All of these people are here are blind - but they're resilient. They just want to get on with it, and they enjoy playing chess."