International Braille Chess Association

The International Braille Chess Association, abbreviated IBCA, is the international organization devoted to chess for blind and visually impaired people. It is affiliated with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and coordinates a network of countries, championships and activities for this community.

The game is still ordinary chess, but the equipment can be adapted so that the position is readable by touch. On a typical IBCA board, the dark squares are raised, every square has a hole, and each piece has a small peg that keeps it fixed. A player can therefore examine the board without accidentally displacing the pieces.

The word Braille in the name identifies the organization's accessibility tradition, not a variant with different piece movements. IBCA focuses on visual impairment, while the International Chess Committee of the Deaf and the association for physical disabilities serve other areas of representation and competition.