Go for the Blind

[1]

Blind Go in the UK

Go for the blind is very well established in Japan and Korea; there are strong dan-level players and tournaments for them. A Korean 5 dan took part in the EGC in 2004 against sighted players, using a tactile Go set. In the UK, there are a couple of adult blind players playing in BGA clubs and on the Internet, but the tactile sets have been hard to come by. Some pioneering work began in the UK in 2004 in further promoting Go amongst the blind and visually impaired. Two schools events, and a seminar for adults at the Gosport Discovery Centre in Hampshire, have been run by Peter Wendes, using tactile sets imported from Japan. A workshop was being planned for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London during 2006. Long term it is hoped to hold a blind players event alongside the Mind Sports planned to coincide with the 2012 Olympics in London.

Blind Go on Radio

Blind Go was the subject of an 'In Touch' programme on BBC Radio 4 broadcast on 7th December 2004; it featured Crown Woods School in Greenwich, venue of one the school events run by Peter Wendes.

Services for Blind Players

Morino sensei of the Japan Association for Go for the Visually Impaired has kindly donated tactile sets which are available free to any group or individual interested in making Go available to blind players. Please contact Peter Wendes pwendes at hotmail.co.uk 02392 267648.

Peter also maintains a contact list of blind players and a list of professionals working in the field of visual impairment. These are available on request.

[2]

Article by Peter Wendes from BGJ 135 (2004) [3]

[4]

Yuki Shigeno's report on an tournament for visually impaired [5]