Upcoming Events

See full league description

September 2026 – April 2027 Regular season matches are played once per month from September through March, with playoffs in April. Teams select their home playing night during registration.

The Boston Metropolitan Chess League is one of the nation's oldest team chess competitions, bringing together clubs, schools, and groups from across Greater Boston for monthly team matches. The 2026–27 season features seven regular-season matches followed by divisional playoffs. Teams consist of at least four boards and play two games against each opponent—one with each color—making every match a true test of team depth. Teams may field additional players throughout the season, and clubs are welcome to enter multiple teams in different divisions. Whether you're representing a long-established chess club or organizing a new group of friends, the BMCL offers a fun, competitive, and flexible way to enjoy over-the-board team chess.

Two divisions based on team strength:

• Championship Division (approximately U2200 average strength)
• Reserve Division (approximately U1900 average strength)

Final division assignments may be adjusted to create balanced competition.

Event starts on October 6 and ends on October 27. Registration limited to first 70 players.

In accordance with BCF policy, unrated players may play in any section. Players rated within 200 points of the lower section maximum may play up one section.

Sections with fewer than six players may be merged.

September and October supplements and "live rating" may be used to play up a section.

The winner(s) of a section from this month's tournament may play up one section regardless of their rating for the November Tuesday Night Swiss.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

It's Friday Night!

We'll play six double rounds (one game with each color) with a G/5 time control, no delay and no increment. Doors open at 7:30pm, first round starts at 7:45pm.

Afterwards, what happens happens...

Please note, this event may be canceled in the event of low registration. In the event of cancellation, entry fees will be refunded and you will be notified by email and/or text message at approximately 6:00pm on the day of the event.

This event is not USCF rated and USCF membership is not required. However USCF ratings will be used for section eligibility and pairing/prize purposes.

We are pleased to announce a series of 8 classes during the fall semester. Each lesson will be in person at the club and will last 90 minutes.

Small group lessons led by lead instructor NM Ryan Young.

Please complete the registration form on Ryan's website to provide additional information about your learning goals for the fall.

Contact info: TD Nick Sterling. E-mail: td@boylstonchess.org. Text/cell: 781-733-0849.

If I do not have your e-mail and cell phone # already, please send those to me in case we have to contact each other.

If I do not have your lichess Username, please send that to me or include it in the comments in your Registration.

For Round 1, Pairings will be posted on Tuesday just after 6 PM on the Boylston CC website. The cutoff time for registration in time to play a Round is Tuesday at 6 PM. Any players who register subsequent to 6 PM will be skipped until the following week's Round. Each Round begins at 6:30 PM except for games whose start times were agreed in advance to be changed.

The tournament may be run as one large Swiss instead of Quads at the TD's discretion.

Players must join Zoom and Share their Screens or show their play areas in their camera views. The link will be sent to players by e-mail. Players with scores of at least +2, or in contention for a prize, may, at the TD's discretion, be required to provide at least two separate camera views on Zoom.

Players must be current Members of USCF.

Forfeit of a Round for any reason may result in forfeit of any prize $$$ that would otherwise have been won, at the TD's discretion.

Rating with USCF will be delayed by 72 hours after the completion of the tournament to give lichess time to ensure Fair Play was observed in all games.

On Wednesday, October 14, the Boylston Chess Foundation will hold our Annual Membership Meeting.

On this important night, we will conduct our annual election of Officers and Board Members. The meeting will start at 7:30 PM, and the election will be held shortly thereafter.

Please come to this important event, and help determine the future of our non-profit organization.

The meeting will be held at 35 Kingston St in Boston. Parking is available on both sides of Kingston St, or in the nearby Post Office Square garage.

To be eligible to vote, you must be a member in good standing at the time of our Annual Meeting, and have been a member for a least one month at any time prior to the date of the meeting. Our membership vote is non-binding, and must be ratified by the current Board of Directors.

We hope that every member who is able to, attends our annual meeting on October 14. Together, we can continue to strengthen our foundation and give it a bright future!

Come for a night of chess, stay for the analysis afterward! All games this month are casual - rated games are not available. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed but people still take the classical game quite seriously.

Anyone may play, but in order to be ranked on the ladder and be eligible for prizes, you must be a club member.

See full ladder information

The rules are subject to change as we introduce this new format.

Each round is a 4 game match.

Players can either register individually, or with a teammate. Players registered individually will be assigned a different partner for each round, and players registered with a teammate will always be partnered with their teammate. At the end of the 5 double-round Swiss, the top players will compete in a playoff match for a bonus prizes.

Prizes for top individual, 2nd place individual, top team in the Swiss, and the playoff match winner will be in a 3-2-2-2 ratio.

Sections with few players may be merged.

In accordance with BCF policy, unrated players may play in any section. Players rated within 200 points of the lower section maximum may play up one section.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

A current USCF membership is required for all three Sections.

Players must be under the age of 18 at the time of play.

Players must be currently USCF-Rated between 800 and 2000 to play in the Championship Section.

Accelerated Pairings may be used.

It's Friday Night!

We'll play six double rounds (one game with each color) with a G/5 time control, no delay and no increment. Doors open at 7:30pm, first round starts at 7:45pm.

Afterwards, what happens happens...

Please note, this event may be canceled in the event of low registration. In the event of cancellation, entry fees will be refunded and you will be notified by email and/or text message at approximately 6:00pm on the day of the event.

This is a US Chess Federation rated event. USCF membership is required for all players. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Please join us for a beginner-focused event! Limited to players under 1200, this is a great way to continue practicing your chess in a friendly environment.

This event is USCF-rated, and we will require an active USCF membership to play. Please join the USCF or renew your membership in advance of the event.

Please join us for an intimate conversation with Atiyab Sultan, author of Endgame of Empire: Sultan Khan, Asia's First Grandmaster.

Dr. Sultan will lead us through a discussion of GM Khan's life and career, as well as the political realities of his time which cut that career short.

The event will end with a presentation of games featured in the book.

Come for a night of chess, stay for the analysis afterward! All games this month are casual - rated games are not available. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed but people still take the classical game quite seriously.

Anyone may play, but in order to be ranked on the ladder and be eligible for prizes, you must be a club member.

See full ladder information

The rules are subject to change as we introduce this new format.

In accordance with BCF policy, unrated players may play in any section. Players rated within 200 points of the lower section maximum may play up one section.

Sections with fewer than 6 players may be merged into the other section.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

TBD

Event starts on November 3 and ends on November 24. Registration limited to first 70 players.

In accordance with BCF policy, unrated players may play in any section. Players rated within 200 points of the lower section maximum may play up one section.

Sections with fewer than six players may be merged.

October and November supplements and "live rating" may be used to play up a section.

The winner(s) of a section from this month's tournament may play up one section regardless of their rating for the December Tuesday Night Swiss.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Prizes Open Section 1st Place: $800 2nd Place: $450 3rd Place: $200 Top U2200: $250

U1850 Section 1st Place: $400 2nd Place: $200 3rd Place: $100 Top U1500 (1st): $150 Top U1500 (2nd): $100

Schedule & Round Times Saturday: 10:00am, 2:00pm, 6:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am, 2:30pm

Players rated at least 1650 on the official supplement, or live MSA rating, may play up in the Open section.

Grandmasters & International Masters: Free entry.

BCF Members (2300+): Free entry (entry fee deducted from any prize won).

Up to two ½-point byes allowed; must request last-round byes before the start of Round 2.

Side Events Bughouse Tournament
Saturday 9:30pm | 4SS, G/3 d0 | $500 in prizes Fischer Random Blitz
Sunday 6:00pm | 6SS, G/5 d0 | $500 in prizes

** No byes or withdrawals are allowed. All rounds must be played. **

Free entry for GMs and IMs.

If the number of players is not divisible by 4 then the bottom section will be a small Swiss with 5-7 players.

Registration limited to the first 70 entries.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

Event starts on December 1 and ends on December 29. Registration limited to first 70 players.

In accordance with BCF policy, unrated players may play in any section. Players rated within 200 points of the lower section maximum may play up one section.

Sections with fewer than six players may be merged.

November and December supplements and "live rating" may be used to play up a section.

The winner(s) of a section from this month's tournament may play up one section regardless of their rating for the January Tuesday Night Swiss.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

** No byes or withdrawals are allowed. All rounds must be played. **

Free entry for GMs and IMs.

If the number of players is not divisible by 4 then the bottom section will be a small Swiss with 5-7 players.

Registration limited to the first 70 entries.

A current USCF membership is required. Please visit the US Chess Membership site to join or renew.

TBD

TBD