From Caffè dell'Amicizia to Caffè Portorico
The first official notice of a chess circle in Novara appeared in March 1923 and placed it at Caffè dell'Amicizia. Its documentary trail vanished almost at once; a new federation registration appeared in 1931, and Caffè Portorico became the circle's meeting place in the early 1930s.
Official activity declined during the war, although one historical account recalls a small group continuing quietly in an apartment on via Gaudenzio Ferrari. Official activity resumed in the late 1950s, and in 1962 Nicolò Guglielmi led a formal reconstitution at Caffè Barlocchi, bringing former members together with players from the Montedison workers' chess section.
A title, a split, and a reunion
The team reached an early national peak in 1967 by winning the Italian Serie C championship at Recoaro Terme. In 1975 the circle split over a proposed merger with Arona, but in 1978 the two sides returned to a single organization based at Casa Bossi.
In 2023 the city marked the centenary of the circle's first documented appearance. The municipality and Società Scacchistica Novarese brought a history-book presentation and a public simultaneous exhibition to the Broletto.
From school lessons to club play
From 2004 to 2022, a club instructor coordinated the provincial Scacchi a Scuola project, which the youth section says reached hundreds of pupils each year. The project was still active in 2025/2026, with primary-school tournaments and training for teachers.
Learning leads directly into practice at the club. Two rooms support casual play, while internal and federation tournaments sit alongside courses for newcomers and more advanced players.
A library meant to be used
The library holds almost one thousand chess books that members can consult on site or borrow. For an organization that met in city cafés at several points in its history, the collection marks a visible transition from meeting place to a shared setting for study as well as play.
Sources
- 1.Scacchistica Novarese, Società Scacchistica Novarese
- 2.Oltre un secolo di vita, Società Scacchistica Novarese
- 3.Il settore giovanile, Società Scacchistica Novarese
- 4.La Biblioteca del Circolo, Società Scacchistica Novarese
- 5.1923 - 2023 Cent'anni di scacchi a Novara, ATL Terre dell'Alto Piemonte
Show 3 more sources
- 6.La Scacchistica novarese il 29 aprile celebra il suo primo secolo di vita, Corriere di Novara
- 7.Squadra C.I.S. 2026: Scacchistica Novarese 2, Federazione Scacchistica Italiana
- 8.Tesserati 2026: ASD Scacchistica Novarese, Federazione Scacchistica Italiana
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