Associazione Dilettantistica Società Scacchistica Gallaratese

♟️ About ASD Scacchistica Gallaratese

ASD Scacchistica Gallaratese is a historic chess club based in Gallarate, Lombardy, Italy. Founded on November 16, 1920, it is one of Italy’s century-old chess organizations and was among the founding members of the Federazione Scacchistica Italiana (FSI). The club serves players from Gallarate and the wider Province of Varese through regular club activity, rated competition, team chess, training, and public chess initiatives. The club maintains an especially active program for children and junior players. Its activities include chess courses, provincial and regional youth championships, the CI.GIO.VA. – Circuito Giovanile della Provincia di Varese, Under-18 rapid tournaments, and beginner competitions such as Primi Scacchi. Adult members can participate in internal rapid and blitz events, the Formula Uno series, national team competition, and the club’s flagship classical event, the Open Ricciardi. Paolo Collaro has served as President since 2012 and remains the current legal representative and principal public contact for the organization. Under his presidency, the club has expanded both its competitive and educational activities. In 2026, Gallaratese fielded two teams in the Italian Team Championship for the first time, retained its place in Serie B, earned promotion from Promozione to Serie C with its second team, and organized the 26th Open Ricciardi from June 5–7, 2026.

📜 More Than a Century of Chess

Scacchistica Gallaratese was founded in 1920, the same year in which the Italian Chess Federation was established. The club therefore occupies a distinctive place in the early history of organized Italian chess. Over the following decades, it maintained chess activity in Gallarate despite several changes of venue and periods in which maintaining permanent club premises proved difficult. Nevertheless, the organization continued staging local championships and participating in regional team competitions. The club celebrated its centenary in 2020. More recently, its competitive growth has accelerated. In January 2025, Gallaratese achieved its best result to that point in the Trofeo Lombardia, finishing third overall after reaching the Final Four.

♜ Italian Team Chess

The 2026 Campionato Italiano a Squadre marked another important step in the club’s development. For the first time, Scacchistica Gallaratese entered two teams. The first team competed in Serie B, having earned promotion during the previous season. Despite facing several highly rated opponents, it successfully retained its place in the division. The newly created second team entered the Promozione section. Combining experienced club members with players making their team-chess debuts, it finished third among 18 teams in its group and earned immediate promotion to Serie C. This result strengthened the club’s competitive structure and created more opportunities for developing players to participate in formal league chess.

🎓 Youth Chess and Training

Youth development is one of Gallaratese’s most active areas. The club runs structured instruction and regularly takes young players to provincial, Lombardy, and Italian championship events. In 2026, its calendar included the 9th Varese Provincial U18 Championship, the 8th Rapid U18 tournament, the Lombardy U18 Championship, and several CI.GIO.VA. competitions. The club also hosted the 5th Primi Scacchi CI.GIO.VA. tournament in June 2026, aimed at young and less experienced competitors. In addition, club instructors support broader educational and community projects. One notable 2026 initiative involved FSI instructor Pietro Bera, who participated in a chess-based social project at the prison in Busto Arsizio. Therefore, the club’s educational work extends beyond conventional tournament and training activity.

🌟 Open Ricciardi

The Open Ricciardi is the club’s principal classical tournament and one of its longest-running competitive projects. The 26th edition took place from June 5–7, 2026 at Sala Ipazia in Cardano al Campo, near Gallarate. The tournament was organized by ASD Scacchistica Gallaratese with the patronage of the Municipality of Cardano al Campo. Players competed in a single five-round Swiss tournament at 90 minutes plus 30 seconds per move. The event was valid for FIDE Standard and Italian rating changes. The published prize fund totaled €575 plus trophies, with additional awards for rating categories and junior players. The compact weekend format makes the Open accessible to regional club players while maintaining full classical FIDE-rated conditions.

⚡ Club Tournament Activity

Beyond the Open Ricciardi, Scacchistica Gallaratese maintains a varied program of shorter competitions. The club’s Formula Uno series consists of recurring blitz events held during the season. It also organizes rapid competitions, the Trofeo Crespi, youth rapid events, and other local tournaments. Regular club opening hours include Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons, providing time for training, casual play, tournament rounds, and activities for younger members.