Owing to their construction, Dominoes really need no alteration to make them suitable for the blind, but care should be taken when purchasing to see that the pips are cut deep into the ivory, so that the player can tell at a touch how many there are in the piece before him.
Chess
This is one of the games in which the blind frequently excel, and in consequence it is a general favorite. The undivided attention they are able to give, and the natural acuteness which their affliction usually brings to such a pitch of excellence, serves them in good stead when playing “the king of games.”
The board should be prepared as in the case of checkers, with the exception that points should be made from the back, in the manner described in connection with the [Halma board].
The different men are, of course, by their construction, easily distinguishable from one another, but it will assist matters very materially if a set is used in which the men differ considerably in shape and size.
In the center of each piece a hole must be bored in the base, large enough to allow the man to be placed, and removed from one pin to another with ease. For this reason wooden chess men are preferable.
The question of distinguishing the colors has been solved in various ways. In some cases the tops of the men of one color have been halved, as shown in [Fig. 8], and this has proved a very satisfactory arrangement.
Fig. 8.—Color distinctions for Chess men.
Others have used the black men of one set and the white men of another, but this plan is hardly to be recommended, owing to the similarity prevailing between all chess men.