Hi Leslie and list:

Your best bet is probably a free chess game designed for JAWS at:

http://www.hj.com/JAWS/Winboard.html

There is another chess program called "KChess Elite" which makes the
following claim:

"There is full keyboard and mouse control, and an easy to use button
bar. Special features make the program particularly good for blind or
visually impaired players. Voice feedback can be male or female. There
is extensive help, including a comprehensive glossary and the rules of
chess. All versions of KChess Elite since version 2 have gained five
star ratings from both Ziff Davis and C/Net.

KChess Elite is also suited for use with screen reader software for the
blind or visually impaired.

Versions for both Windows 3.1 and Windows 9x/NT/2000 are available."

I know nothing about KChess Elite, but I think we've all learned that
companies are sometimes too casual in their claims of accessibility for
the blind/visually impaired.

You can find KChess Elite at:

http://www.pnc.com.au/~arkangle/kchess/elite.html

I use "Chessmaster 6000" (I think there's a 7000 version out there now)
but I still have some usable vision. I read in a newsgroup that some
people consider it fairly accessible because it does include speech
feedback in many of its functions. I have friends who claim that
Chessmaster isn't easily accessible for sighted people; it can be
difficult to familiarize oneself with its many options, and there are
crucial functions that do NOT give voice feedback. I don't know how it
would do with a screen-reader.

Chessmaster is available in a lot of places, but if you want to try an
older version (Chessmaster 5000) to see how it works for you, go to:

http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/shop.pl?cid=292244-1940689842&offer=ahpcm
5000

and you can order the Windows version of Chessmaster 5000 for $7.95 (US)
because they only charge you for shipping.

If you use the program in conjunction with your own chess set, and play
out the moves as their read, then several other chess programs also have
voice feedback.

Oh yeah, I've read that "Battle Chess" can be used by JAWS for most of
its functions.

Check with the US Braille Chess Association for some ideas:

http://www.crisscrosstech.com/usbca/

Gary
Tomball, Texas, USA


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