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.
Round 1: Week of TBD
Round 2: Week of TBD
Round 3: Week of TBD
Round 4: Week of TBD
Round 5: Week of TBD
Round 6: Week of TBD
Round 7: Week of TBD
Round 8: Week of TBD
Playoffs: TBD in April 2026 with top 4 teams in-person
Bishop McNamara High School
Forestville, MD
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Washington, DC
DeMatha Catholic High School
Hyattsville, MD
Georgetown Preparatory School
North Bethesda, MD
Fairmont Heights High School
Landover, 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.