Braille chess notation

Also known as: Braille chess code

A tactile transcription system for recording and reading chess moves, positions, and commentary in braille.

Explanation

Braille chess notation adapts written game information to braille cells, patterns of raised dots read by touch. It allows a blind reader to record, consult, and edit chess content without relying on a visual representation.

The code specifies how to write piece identifiers, squares, , captures, checks, promotions, results, and other elements. It also defines spacing and layout so that a sequence can be read unambiguously. The task is not always a one-for-one substitution of printed characters because some braille signs act as indicators that change how following cells are interpreted.

The code can transcribe algebraic notation, in which a square is named by a file letter and rank number, but it uses its own braille conventions. Edition, language, and transcription authority matter, so a document should apply one declared standard consistently.

The FIDE Laws permit a visually disabled player to keep score in braille, longhand, or on a recording device. The notation code does not replace a tactile board or change the rules of chess; it solves the separate problem of representing information.

Usage and context

Accessibility depends on consistent notation as well as a board and clock that the player can operate independently.

Common confusions

Tactile chessboard

The board lets a player perceive and play the position. Braille notation lets the player write and read the game record.

Sources

Related terms

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