The U.S. Chess Center is pleased to offer a new season of the Metro Area Chess League (MACL), the high school chess league we ran from 1985 through 2012, and from 2021 to the present. A previous incarnation of the league ran from 1950 through 1975. The league is open to all interested high schools in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2025-2026 season will start in November 2025 and conclude with playoffs in April 2026.
- Any high school in the DC metro area may field a team.
- Matches will be played either online on lichess.org or in-person between two schools (which method will be determined by pairings/schedule). See below for the tentative schedule.
- Teams are four players, not necessarily the same four each match, all registered students in their schools in grades 9-12.
Players (students) should register individually (at no additional cost) at: https://chessctr.org/play/macl-player
Four players from each school and their coaches/sponsors will meet online or in-person.
Teams must complete each round’s match by (or before) the deadline.
Round 1: Match Deadline: December 5, 2025
Round 2: Match Deadline: December 19, 2025
Round 3: Match Deadline: January 16, 2026
Round 4: Match Deadline: January 30, 2026
Round 5: Match Deadline: February 13, 2026
Round 6: Match Deadline: February 27, 2026
Round 7: Match Deadline: March 13, 2026
Playoffs: Top 2 teams from each division (4 teams total) will play in-person on a Date TBD in April 2026
Atlantic Division
Arlington Career Center (ACC)
BASIS DC
Benjamin Banneker Academic HS
Bishop McNamara HS
Langley HS
Oakton HS
Richard Montgomery HS
South Lakes HS
Eastern Division
Chantilly HS
DeMatha Catholic HS
Fairmont Heights HS
Georgetown Preparatory School
Gonzaga College HS
Jackson-Reed HS
McKinley Technology HS
West Springfield HS
Arlington Career Center
Arlington, VA
BASIS DC
Washington, DC
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Washington, DC
Bishop McNamara High School
Forestville, MD
Chantilly High School
Chantilly, VA
Fairmont Heights High School
Landover, MD
DeMatha Catholic High School
Hyattsville, MD
Georgetown Preparatory School
North Bethesda, MD
Gonzaga College High School
Washington, DC
Jackson-Reed High School
Washington, DC
McKinley Technology High School
Washington, DC
Oakton High School
Vienna, VA
Richard Montgomery High School
Rockville, MD
South Lakes High School
Reston, VA
West Springfield High School
Springfield, VA
Teams that have registered to participate in the 2025-2026 season of the Metro Area Chess League are listed above.