Win Prizes In The Spring 2026 CCL Predictions Challenge
The Collegiate Chess League Spring 2026 Season Playoffs are upon us, and you can join in on the excitement by predicting who wins!
Will SLU defend their championship title, or will UT Dallas get their revenge and their first ever CCL Championship? Will Mizzou make their way back to the top? Tell us what you think will happen and join the CCL prediction challenge tradition that started back in the fall of 2021. Now is your chance to become a part of college chess history and earn your prize!
The bracket prediction winner in each of the 25 divisions will walk away with a six-month Chess.com Diamond Membership.*
To enter, submit your predictions by Saturday April 4, 2026 at 1 p.m. ET / 18:00 CET / 10:30 p.m. IST.
How To Participate
Click the button above for the Spring 2026 prediction brackets. Each division has its own bracket. Make predictions for as many divisions as you'd like. Fill out all 25 for your best chance to win!
Then, sit back and watch your favorite teams duke it out in the Playoffs―knowing each of their wins brings you closer to a chance to win six months of Chess.com diamond membership!
Winners will be notified by email at the email address provided the first week of May.*
*One winner per bracket. No purchase is necessary to participate or win. Prizes cannot be transferred or redeemed for cash. Participants may not win more than one bracket. Void where prohibited.
Some Of The Favorites: Division 1
Reigning Champions: Saint Louis University
GMs Viktor Gazik and Aryan Chopra helped lead the way to Saint Louis's record setting sixth CCL championship last season and are returning to defend their title. Their win over Mizzou in the seventh round earned them the number one spot in the playoffs and showed their team is ready to face anyone standing between them and the championship title.
The Challengers: University of Texas Dallas
Dallas had an impressive run this season taking down both Mizzou and SLU with their only loss coming from SRM IST. They came in second place in the final standings only to SLU on tiebreaks. Last season's finals was perhaps their best chance only losing to SLU 8.5-7.5, will they be able to make it back and this time earn their first championship?
Always a Contender: University of Missouri - Columbia
The Missouri tigers were the number one seed going into the season led by their top board GM Aryan Tari. They were the last team to win a championship before SLU, and they recently won the US Championship over the board at this year's President's Cup.
The Indian Team: SRM Institute of Science and Technology
SRM IST has been the powerhouse team from India winning the first three India College Chess Championships in a row and are looking to earn their first CCL championship. Their lineup features Grandmasters Pranesh M, Srihari L R, and Vijayakumar Raahul, and they were the only team that could take down Dallas.
For a more in depth recap of the regular season, see our playoffs preview.
For all standings and results for Division 1, see our events page.
Lower Divisions
With 25 divisions in competition, anyone has a shot at making the winning prediction bracket.
For all standings and results for Divisions 2-3, see the PlayVS platform.
Standings and results for Divisions 4-25 are available here.
The Collegiate Chess League (CCL) is the premier online chess competition for college students. It is a team event with an all-play-all blitz format, featuring a $25,000 prize fund.
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