The USTCL started in 2010 on the Chess.com platform.  In the first season only ten teams participated in a round-robin tournament and Washington prevailed.  

The league has steadily grown to include more US states, US territories and Canadian provinces. This season 44 teams are competing in 5 divisions. Washington has claimed the overall champion team title six times, followed by New Jersey with five USTCL titles. Colorado (2019), Ontario (2020), Arizona (2024) and Hawaii (2025) also won the USTCL champion title.

Smaller and newer teams enjoy competition in lower divisions. At the end of every season the top two teams from each division move up, and the bottom two teams move down.