Blind author and chess-whiz Cicel Vosloo from Symhurst needs the community’s help.
He, along with Melvyn Lucas, William Isaacs, Bruno de Meyer, Frederick Liebenberg and manager Floris Brown, has been chosen to represent South Africa at the 15th IBCA World Chess Olympiad for the Blind.
The event will take place in Macedonia from June 18 to 29, next year.
There are very few competitive braille events on the calendar and this event is one of the most prestigious competitions on the world stage and the best countries, like Russia, Germany and Great Britain, will be sending teams.
However, the players get very little financial support from the government to attend the event and have to raise most of the money themselves.
“I come with a humble plea to please open your hearts and consider my request for sponsorship,” Vosloo said.
“This will help fulfil one of my dreams.”
Vosloo has represented South Africa in two previous Olympiads, in Greece in 2008 and in India in 2012.
“The 2012 South African team was also the most successful South African team and we are determined to do even better next year.
“In 2014 I was invited to the World Braille Singles event held in Greece and finished in the highest position by a South African in the history of the event,” Vosloo said.
Braille chess is where people with visual disabilities cannot play chess on a normal board.
It is played on an adapted board where the black squares are raised in order to determine where the pieces stand on a board.
The black pieces also normally have little pins on top of them to differentiate between the black and white pieces.
Each square has a hole in it to hold the pieces on the square and the pieces each have a peg on the bottom to hold them in place.
Most normal chess rules apply, but there are a few that differ.
The most well-known is “touch move”.
A braille player has permission to touch the pieces and only once he lifts a piece out of its holding hole does it count as a valid move.
This differentiates chess in a unique way, as visually impaired players can compete on the same level as sighted players.
The total cost to attend the event is R21 300 (including the plane ticket and accommodation).
If you would like to help make Vosloo’s dream come true and offer him a sponsorship, email to cicel@truckafrica.co.za or call him on 083 386 8203.
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