Visually Impaired Chess Players

Hi guys,

I'm designing a chess set for the visually impaired for an academic project and was wondering whether anybody has some insight or experience with people who are blind/visually impaired and play chess. From what I understand: (1) each board has raised cells for black and recessed cells for white, (2) each piece has a peg and each cell has a hole to hold it's place, (3) players tend to move their hands all over the board to figure out which move their opponent made, and (4) players recognize each piece through their shape and tactile feel.

Although it might be kind of a long shot, I'm wondering whether anybody here is visually impaired and plays chess, or knows someone who meet these requirements, so I could ask a few more questions that can help guide the design.

Anyways, I hope there's someone out there who can help.

I use the braille set it really helps me when i play on this site

#2, noted. Your sarcasm is somewhat insightful

Player id not supposed to find what opponent moved but opponent must declare his move. Board is used so that you can examine with hands where the pieces are.

#3 I hope you learned a lot from my insightful comment :)

#5 and yet, I could learn so much from you. Teach me your ways.

I don't know any blind chess players, but I'd guess that most of them either play really well (really, really well) or really badly.

I've seen piece sets for the blind on photos available on the internet. There's isn't a big difference other than expressing the colors. You could probably also look up teachers/coaches or institutions on the internet, probably social media.

#7 makes me wonder who would play better: a blind-folded GM, or a truly blind GM?

#8 thanks for your input, I hadn't considered looking into coaches for visual impaired chess players.

I've seen blind chess player before , He has a custom chess set and each piece and pawns has nails and each of the 64 sqaures has holes , He feels up the piece to know where they are ..

#9 > What is a truly blind GM? No blind person has ever reached a master level chess

Fyi : the blind chess player's nat'l rating was around 1800 perhaps and there is a difference between having no vision of the board and feeling up the pieces .. He wasn't stating his moves allowing another person play out his moves .

He was feeling up the pieces so that he knows where they are , There is a huge difference.
Even I can play 10 "blindfold" chess simul respectively , idk about how i'll perform tho but I do know that I'll perform a lot worse with no vision and just imagination blindfold..