St. Louis University (SLU) and the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) have combined to win the last seven Collegiate Chess League championships, but the spring 2026 season will crown a new champion. The SRM Institute of Science and Technology has defeated SLU in the semifinals, while the University of Texas-Dallas (UTD) dominated Mizzou on the other side of the bracket to reach the finals for a second straight season.
Quarterfinals
SRM 9.5 – 2.5 UTRGV
SRM had no trouble in their first match against the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. GM Harsh Suresh took care of business, winning all three of his games. His teammates supported him as well, not losing a single game. After a 3-1 first round, a 4-0 second round put the match out of reach, and it ended early with three draws and a win to bring SRM to 9.5 points. Check out his precise win in the final round against GM Gleb Dudin.
Mizzou 10.5 – 5.5 Texas Tech
Mizzou won the league championship in the Fall 2024 season and has been trying to get back on top ever since. In the quarterfinals, their hopes took a step forward with a convincing victory over Texas Tech. The match was tied 4-4 after the first two rounds, but Mizzou took over after that, winning the second half of the match 6.5-1.5. GM Mahel Boyer won his first three games, including this powerful demonstration against IM Roman Pyrih.
Semifinals
SRM 9.5 – 6.5 SLU
SLU won the last two league championships, and five of the last six titles. However, SRM wasn’t scared, and started the match with a 3-1 first round. SRM kept up the pace, taking a 5.5-2.5-lead into the second half of the match. Although SLU closed to within a point after three rounds, they weren’t able to complete the comeback. GM Pranesh M dominated the match, winning all four of his games, including this crushing win against GM Bharath Subramaniyam.
UTD 8.5 – Mizzou 3.5
UTD nearly won the title last season, and after a bye in this year’s quarterfinals, they needed to get past Mizzou to earn another finals appearance. After the first round, it looked to be a tight match, as GMs Aditya Samant for UTD and Aryan Tari for Mizzou exchanged victories. In round two, Dallas took control with a 3-1 score, including this miniature by Aditya against GM Luka Budisavljevic.
Mizzou needed a comeback in round three, but it only got worse for them instead. UTD took the round 3.5-0.5, reaching 8.5 points and winning the match with a round to spare.
Up Next
UTD’s victory sets up a finals matchup against SRM, to be played on Saturday, April 18 at 2 PM EDT. In the meantime, you can see a reply of the semifinal matches, hosted by Joe Lee.
The Collegiate Chess League is the premier online chess competition for college students.