History of the Olympiads of the Blind

 

 

Chess Olympiads of the Blind are organized every fourth year. The first of them took place in 1961 in Meschede (Germany). 7 countries took part in this event. This year’s Olympiad in Zakopane is eleventh.

         Here are winners of the former Olympiads:

I.                   Meshede (FRG – Federal Republic of Germany) 1961, 8 teams:               1) Yugoslav, 2) Austria, 3) RFN

II.                Kühlungsborn (GDR- German Democratic Republic) 1964, 9 teams:        1) Yugoslav, 2) GDR, 3) Czechoslovakia, 6) Poland

III.             Weymouth (Anglia) 1968, 20 teams: 1) USSR, 2) Yugoslav 3) Romania, 12) Poland

IV.            Pula (Yugoslav) 1972, 22 teams: 1) USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), 2) Yugoslav, 3) Romania, 10) Poland

V.               Kovrtane (Finland) 1976, 21 teams: 1) USSR, 2) Yugoslav 3) GDR,      11) Poland

VI.            Noordwijkerhoout (Netherlands) 1980, 23 teams: 1) USSR, 2) Yugoslav, 3) GDR, 7) Poland

VII.         Benidorm (Spain) 1985, 23 teams: 1) USSR, 2) Yugoslav, 3) Poland

VIII.      Zalaegerszeg (Hungary) 1988, 23 teams: 1) USSR, 2) Yugoslav, 3) FRG /Germany/  6) Poland

IX.            Can Picafort (Spain) 1992, 33 teams: 1) Russia, 2) Yugoslav 3) Ukraine 4) Poland

X.               Laguna (Brazil) 1996, 30 teams: 1) Russia 2) Ukraine 3) Byelorussia       4) Poland