The Collegiate Chess League (CCL) is back for another thrilling season, and registrations for Spring 2026 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 380 teams and 2,000 students from roughly 200 colleges and universities across 26 countries, as the CCL continues to grow. This spring, 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, Gergely Kantor, Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, and others, the CCL is the perfect competition for all college students.
In the recently concluded Fall 2025 season, Saint Louis University (SLU) defended their championship title with a narrow 8.5-7.5 win in the final against the University of Texas Dallas. Will SLU go on another winning streak, or will UT Dallas have another chance at winning their first ever championship—or will a new challenger come in and take the glory and the $5,000 cash prize of a Division 1 CCL championship?
There’s only one way to find out.
Team captains and coaches can register their teams until February 6. Check out all you need to know to register below.
Registrations close on February 6 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 February 14 and ends on March 28. The playoffs begin on April 4 and end on April 25.
Sign up to participate in the CCL and play alongside other great college players. If you can’t compete in the event, you can still watch the live coverage on CCL’s Twitch channel and follow all the action!
