The Collegiate Chess League (CCL) is back for another thrilling season, and registrations for Fall 2025 are officially open! Once again, the CCL will boast a $25,000 prize fund and the exciting four vs. four team format that fans and players love.
The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students. We invite all university students who love chess and would like to represent their school to compete. Register today:
Last season saw over 370 teams and 2,000 students from 200 colleges and universities across 30 countries, as the CCL continues to grow. This fall, teams will battle it out in the 5+2 time control. Fans and players can expect fast-paced battles, dramatic tactics, and all sorts of chess action.
Whether you’re a casual player or a seasoned competitor, this is the perfect event for you to test your skills and have fun alongside your college mates. From hobbyists to professionals such as GMs Aryan Tari, Viktor Gazik, Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, Arthur Guo, and others, the CCL is the perfect competition for all college students.
In the recently concluded Spring 2025 season, Saint Louis University (SLU) defeated the defending champions at University of Missouri to reclaim their championship title with a convincing 10–2 win in the final that earned the $5,000 first-place prize. Will SLU go on another winning streak, or will Mizzou bring them down—or will a new challenger come in and take the glory of a CCL championship?
There’s only one way to find out.
Team captains and coaches can register their teams until September 18th. Check out all you need to know to register below.
Registrations close on September 18th at 11:59 p.m. PT / 2:59 a.m. (+1) ET, so make sure you don’t miss the deadline. To register, you must complete the following steps:
Team Captains
- Register your team on PlayVS.
- If you need help registering, check out this instructional video.
- If your school is not on the PlayVS platform, you must make a request to get it added either by emailing Joe Navarro at joe.navarro@playvs.com or by asking an admin on the CCL Discord server. Please only do this if you are over the age of 18 and are the representative of your college chess team.
- Fill out Chess.com’s registration form.
All Other Players
Once your team captain has registered your team, follow the steps below:
- Register on PlayVS and join your team.
- Sign the fair play agreement.
Note that each team must have at least four players, with the possibility of adding up to four additional team members as substitutes.
You can find the full regulations and prize information here.
The regular season starts on September 27 and ends on November 8. The playoffs begin on November 15 and end on November 23.
Sign up to participate in the CCL and play alongside other great college players. If you can’t compete in the event, you can catch the live coverage on CCL’s Twitch channel and follow all the action!
