Built for the next step
The club began in 1994 in response to a practical gap in Oviedo. Javier Madera saw that pupils could discover chess through extracurricular activities but had few opportunities to move into structured, advanced training.
In its early years, Ciudad Naranco drew promising pupils from that school network into higher-level instruction. The passage from first lessons to sustained development became the club's organizing idea.
A teaching network across Oviedo
That bridge remains visible in the present program. Ciudad Naranco teaches extracurricular chess in many Oviedo schools and sometimes in secondary schools and centers elsewhere in Asturias, while its club-based offer includes beginners, adults and federated groups for under-18 players.
School chess also feeds into public competition. Working with the Asturian federation, the club runs Oviedo's zonal stages of the Juegos Deportivos del Principado for more than 200 school-age players, as well as a municipal end-of-year tournament for under-16s.
Events with different jobs
The Open Nacional Judit Polgár is designed to bring strong young players from other Spanish regions to Oviedo, allowing local pupils to meet tougher opposition without traveling. The event had reached eight editions.
Its other tournaments widen the range. The Pablo Morán event is played blindfold and had reached its 25th edition by 2024, while the club's Open Internacional Ciudad de Oviedo returned in 2019 after a multi-year break.
Players shaped by the pathway
The training route is reflected in the players who passed through it. Patricia and Marcos Llaneza trained at Ciudad Naranco, while Jaime Santos and Carlos Suárez developed part of their chess careers there.
A national promotion
Ciudad Naranco won the North group of Spain's Club Team Championship Second Division in 2025. Promotion placed a club still rooted in teaching in the 2026 First Division.
A weekly public voice
The club also communicates beyond lessons and tournament halls through Jaque Continuo. Produced weekly since September 2022, the half-hour program combines chess news with interviews and extends Ciudad Naranco's educational role into local media.
Sources
- 1.Inicio - CTD Naranco, Club de Ajedrez Centro Social Ciudad Naranco
- 2.Entidades - Conecta Oviedo, Conecta Oviedo
- 3.El club de Oviedo que lleva 30 años creando cantera de ajedrez en Asturias: «Ayuda a aprender a perder», La Voz de Asturias
- 4.Caja Insular de Ahorros de Canarias (Sur) y Ciudad Naranco (Norte) Campeones de por Equipos de Segunda División., Federación Española de Ajedrez
- 5.Aviso legal - Open Internacional Ciudad de Oviedo, Open Internacional Ciudad de Oviedo
- 6.Club de Ajedrez Centro Social Ciudad Naranco | LinkedIn, Club de Ajedrez Centro Social Ciudad Naranco
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