United States Blind Chess Association. Blind people play chess too. USBCA logo

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Who We Are

The USBCA is a 501 (c) (3) charity. The United States Blind Chess Association (USBCA) has been around since the late nineteen sixties, and is dedicated to encouraging and assisting in the promotion and advancement of correspondence and over-the-board chess among chess enthusiasts who are blind or visually impaired.

Breaking News

The U.S. Blind Open will be held in Chicago June 20-21 at a hotel near the airport that provides a shuttle. The room rate is $132 per night, and it includes breakfast. Players who compete in all four rounds will receive $100 cash to help defray the hotel costs. $5000 in prizes will be up for grabs: first place, $1,000; second place, $800; third place, $700; fourth place, $500; with the remaining prizes for the top performers rated under 1600, under 1400, under 1200, and under 1000. The tournament will be USCF and FIDE rated. All competitors must be USCF members. If you are a USCF member, there is no additional cost to join FIDE. Blind players can join USCF for $22 per year, or purchase a lifetime membership for $405. Full details are available at https://register.cavemanchess.com/tournaments/index.php?view=zNTizdLa&tid=nKOlnQ==.

Our Mission

To promote the game of chess and its benefits to the blindness community.

Join Our Mailing List

To join and use our mailing list, follow these instructions.

The USBCA prides itself on being there for its members, so whether you are a beginner just learning the game, or an experienced player looking for others to play and get to know, we are here to help and assist you in any way we can.

We have two ways to play the great game of chess in the USBCA. One is by correspondence, where the games are played by email, and the second is in real time, using LiChess or Skype on your computer or smart phone, using your own adaptive chess set. If you are interested in just jumping right in and starting to play games with other USBCA members, send a message to the mailing list.

Become a Member

Paid membership has its perks. Your membership fee gets you two channels of chess instruction with our chess consultants, plus the chance to play in tournaments with cash prizes. For information about becoming a dues paying member, email usblindchess@outlook.com.

LiChess Puzzles

Practice your chess from right here. Puzzles are a fun way to exercise your chess thinking.

Consultants To The USBCA

The USBCA thanks its senior Consultants / Contributors, who help us learn about chess and answer many questions. They are FIDE grand master Alex Onischuk, FIDE international master Jim Sherwin, FIDE master Tyson Mordue, FIDE master Kevin Bachler, candidate master Ejaz Husain, and grand rabbit Paul Benson.