Winner at the BCA International Autumn Tournament

Huge congratulations to Steve Bailey for winning the Braille Chess Association (BCA) International Autumn Tournament in Milton Keynes.

Braille chess – primarily played by those with visual impairments – is played with a special tactile board and an adapted set of pieces for players to use by touch.

Steve had 1 draw and 4 wins to secure first place. There were some hard fought games and some nice attacking positions.

It went down to the last round with Steve and the person he drew against in round 2 both having 3.5 points. Word filtered through that his rival drew whilst Steve was still playing causing the heart rate to rise, but Steve held his nerve and converted the final win to get a well earned trophy for winning the challengers section.

Photo at top, left to right: David Clayton (Arbiter), Chris Ross (Open winner), Bill Armstrong (BCA Chairman), Steve Bailey (Challengers winner), Alan Atkinson (Arbiter). Photo by Julie Leonard.

Anyone who is visually impaired and interested in this way to access chess can get in touch and Steve will answer any questions. For anyone not visually impaired but interested, we’ll be looking to run a visually impaired event in the summer where people can experience what it’s like with a range of conditions effecting the eyes and try playing with a braille board.

Tarik
November 11, 2025