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 2023-2024 season will start in November 2023 and conclude with playoffs in late March or April 2024.
- • 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 November 13, 2023
Round 2: Week of December 4, 2023
Round 3: Week of January 8, 2024
Round 4: Week of January 22, 2024
Round 5: Week of February 5, 2024
Round 6: Week of February 19, 2024
Round 7: Week of March 18, 2024
Round 8: Week of April 1, 2024
Playoffs: TBD with top 4 teams in-person
Arlington Career Center
Arlington, VA
BASIS DC
Washington, DC
Bishop McNamara High School
Forestville, MD
Chantilly High School
Chantilly, VA
Col. Zadok Magruder High School
Rockville, MD
DeMatha Catholic High School
Hyattsville, MD
Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School
Takoma Park, MD
E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
Washington, DC
George C. Marshall High School
Falls Church, VA
Georgetown Preparatory School
North Bethesda, MD
Girls Global Academy PCS
Washington, DC
Gonzaga College High School
Washington, DC
Hayfield Secondary School
Alexandria, VA
Jackson-Reed High School
Washington, DC
Langley High School
McLean, VA
McKinley Technology High School
Washington, DC
McLean High School
McLean, VA
Montgomery Blair High School
Silver Spring, MD
Oakton High School
Vienna, VA
Poolesville High School
Poolesville, MD
Richard Montgomery High School
Rockville, MD
Rochambeau French International School Bethesda, MD
Rockville High School
Rockville, MD
St. Albans School
Washington, DC
St. Anselm’s Abbey School
Washington, DC
St. John’s College High School
Washington, DC
West Springfield High School
Springfield, VA
Teams that have registered to participate in the 2023-2024 season of the Metro Area Chess League are listed above.
The Theophilus Thompson Chess Club
MACL students might also be interested in the Theophilus Thompson Chess Club, a weekly class for students in grades 7-12 that meets on Sundays from 1:30pm – 5:00pm ET. The class meets in-person on the second floor of 1340 Old Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA 22101 (Map). Our teachers provide instruction to beginners and help more advanced players improve their strategy. We play nationally rated games most weeks so students must also be USCF members. Lessons are challenging and informative for all students.
Sometimes we play with other students from across the country and around the world. We have had online matches with students from China, Czech Republic, Iceland, Montenegro, Norway, Spain, Ukraine, and Zambia. We have hosted teams visiting Washington from a variety of states and we took several students on a great chess trip to Cuba.
The Club is named after Theophilus Thompson, a trailblazing chess player and problemist: learn more about him.