SicuraMente-Young APS-ASD

♟️ About SicuraMente-Young APS-ASD

SicuraMente-Young APS-ASD is a nonprofit social-promotion and amateur sports association based in Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. The association develops educational and sporting activities that bring together physical movement, cognitive skills, and community participation. Its work includes the distinctive Chess Pong initiative, which combines chess with table tennis and gives participants a chance to compete across two different sports within one event. This approach makes the organization relevant to chess players, table-tennis competitors, educators, and people interested in multidisciplinary sport. The association works with sporting federations, chess organizations, and regional partners to organize Chess Pong competitions in northeastern Italy. Its events use conventional tournament chess rules for the chess component while also offering an integrated table-tennis competition and a combined sporting classification. A first cross-border tournament took place in Gorizia on May 18, 2025, followed by a second international edition in Trieste on December 21, 2025. The series continues in Trieste with the 3rd International Chess Pong Tournament on December 20, 2026. Giovanni Marchesich, an instructor and chess organizer, serves as the association's vice president and has played a prominent role in developing Chess Pong. His work connects chess training with physical education and the use of sport to build coordination, attention, and other practical skills. The association's registered legal representative is Laura Tamburini, according to the Italian national sports-association register. Tournament participants can contact the Chess Pong team through its dedicated website and event email address.

📜 Chess Pong: From Educational Activities to International Tournaments

Chess Pong emerged from educational activities that paired chess exercises with table-tennis practice. Chess develops concentration, decision-making, and tactical planning; table tennis adds movement, coordination, and fast visual responses. Rather than treating the two sports as unrelated activities, SicuraMente-Young has explored their complementary demands through practical courses and tournament formats. The association's Chess Pong program puts these ideas into practice by letting participants move between the chessboard and the table-tennis table. The first international tournament in Gorizia in May 2025 formed part of the GO!2025 cross-border cultural program and brought together players from Italy and neighboring countries. The event involved regional table-tennis organizers, chess clubs, and other sporting associations. Later that year, the second international tournament in Trieste attracted more than one hundred registrations representing eight countries. That event used a chess blitz tournament and a table-tennis competition to determine individual and combined results.

🏆 International Chess Pong Tournament in Trieste

The International Chess Pong Tournament represents one of the association's principal sporting activities. It gives players the opportunity to participate in competitive chess and table tennis at the same event, using the two performances to build a combined classification. For the chess component, the tournament program has included FIDE-rated blitz with nine rounds played at three minutes plus two seconds per move. The tournament attracts competitors who enjoy fast-paced decisions as well as the physical demands of table tennis. The third international edition, scheduled for December 20, 2026, takes place in Trieste at the sports premises around Largo Niccolini 6. The Italian Chess Federation lists the chess competition as a nine-round FIDE Blitz tournament. The organizer's event submission also describes a table-tennis competition and a single combined ranking. In this format, chess remains an officially rated competitive discipline while the broader event promotes contact between different sporting communities.

🤝 Partners and Regional Chess Collaboration

SicuraMente-Young has delivered its earlier Chess Pong competitions in collaboration with the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional committee of the Italian Table Tennis Federation (FITeT) and several chess and table-tennis associations. Collaborators for the 2025 Trieste edition included A.S.D. Scacchistica Pordenonese, the chess club of Piran in Slovenia, ASD TT Trieste-Sistiana, and US ACLI FVG. These partnerships helped the event welcome participants from multiple countries and support both sporting disciplines in a coordinated program. The international nature of the tournament reflects Trieste's position near Slovenia and Croatia and the wider cross-border sporting community of northeastern Italy. Regional cooperation makes it possible to share chess expertise, table-tennis facilities, tournament administration, and promotional activity. The association's approach also illustrates how community sport can encourage participation across different age groups and national backgrounds without changing the competitive identity of either discipline.

🎓 Sport, Education, and Community Participation

Beyond its tournament program, SicuraMente-Young supports educational initiatives that combine mental and physical activities. Giovanni Marchesich has led Chess Pong courses for organizations and public institutions in the Trieste area. These courses build on exercises that help participants practice calculation and concentration at the chessboard while improving coordination and quick reactions at the table-tennis table. The activities complement the association's interest in safer behavior, sustainable mobility, and positive sporting habits. The association's work has also featured in research and educational projects exploring chess-based learning and practical skills. Its involvement in local and international cooperation offers opportunities to introduce chess to participants who may first encounter the sport through physical-activity programs. The international tournament series adds a competitive dimension to those educational efforts, creating a bridge between introductory participation and formally rated chess.