Online University Women's Team League · Spring 2027

Four players.
One university.
Your move.

Free membership for every woman at university who wants to play chess: undergraduates, postgraduates and PhD students. New to the game or rated since Year 7, there's a board for you. Build a team of four, represent your university, and take on universities across the country, all online.

Free and online. No rating needed.

Team sheet [Your university]
1 You Captain
2 Your flatmate
3 That friend from chess society
4 The one who's only ever played on her phone

Every board scores the same point. More than four of you? Enter a second team.

Played at our Jane Street UCL tournament?

The University Women's Team League runs online all season, so the friends and rivals you met across the board can meet again, wherever they study.

Membership

What you get

One free membership opens the whole league.

Free membership

No fee and no minimum rating. Undergraduate, postgraduate or PhD: if you study at university and want to play, you're in.

A team to play for

Four players per team, and as many teams as your university can fill. Bring your friends, or sign up alone and we'll help you find teammates.

A full season

Online matches against other universities, a league table and a final. Trophies and prizes for the top teams.

Women who play

A national network of players at your level and beyond. Off the board: priority places at SPTW events, and invitations to exclusive events for university women.

How it works

From sign-up to the final in four moves

  1. Join free

    Fill in the short form below.

  2. Gather your four

    Recruit three friends, or tell us you're looking and we'll connect you. Got eight players? That's two teams.

  3. Register your team

    Register your team by Friday 29 January 2027. Not four of you yet? Register anyway and we'll help fill your team.

  4. Play the season

    The league starts online on Friday 12 February 2027, so you can play from your room, the library or your chess society.

A win on board four counts the same as a win on board one

Team chess rewards everyone who sits down. New players aren't making up the numbers: every game counts towards your university's score.

We know what a women's team can do.

Our Lionesses, an all-female side, reached Division 1 of the Four Nations Chess League, the top flight of British team chess.

She Plays To Win is a UK charity giving more girls the best opening move in life. The university league is where that story carries on.

Join SPTW

Make your first move

Free membership for women undergraduates, postgraduates and PhD students. We'll email you league dates, team registration and everything you need before the first online round.

Questions

  • Yes. Membership costs nothing for women at university, whether you're an undergraduate, a postgraduate or a PhD student.

  • No. If you know how the pieces move, you can play. Teams mix all levels, and every board counts.

  • Sign up anyway and choose "match me". We'll put you in touch with other player at your university.

  • Bring them all. A university can enter as many teams of four as it can fill, so eight players make two teams, twelve make three.

  • Never. Missed the team deadline? Sign up anyway, and we'll place you in a team that needs a player.

  • Women studying at university: undergraduates, postgraduates (Master's) and PhD students. Sign up with your university email address, so we can confirm you're a student.

  • Online. Every league match is played online, so all you need is a laptop or phone and a quiet hour.

  • She Plays To Win, a UK charity that helps girls and women take up chess and stay in the game. Questions? Email members@sheplaystowin.co.uk.