Professional Rapid Online Chess League
The Professional Rapid Online Chess League (PRO Chess League and abbreviated PCL) is an online rapid chess league operated by chess.com. It was preceded by the United States Chess League, which announced in 2016 that it would be renamed, reformatted, and opened to cities from around the world, and moved to the website chess.com.[1][2]
| Most recent season or competition: 2018 | |
| Formerly | United States Chess League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Chess |
| Inaugural season | 2017 |
| Commissioner | Greg Shahade |
| No. of teams | 32 |
| Country | International |
| Most recent champion(s) | St. Louis Arch Bishops (2nd title) |
| Most titles | St. Louis Arch Bishops (2 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Twitch |
| Related competitions | Speed Chess Championship |
| Official website | https://www.prochessleague.com/ |
In its inaugural season, the PCL comprised 48 teams, whose members included some of the highest-rated chess players in the world, including the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen, and other elite players including Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hikaru Nakamura, and Wesley So plus over 100 other grandmasters.[3] The 48 teams represent cities in five continents.[3][4]
Teams
- Atlantic - Pacific
- Atlantic
- Eastern - Central
- Eastern - Pacific
- PacificFormat
- For each match, teams may have at least one free agent in the lineup
- The average rating of the four players in each match must be under 2500
- Each match uses a scheveningen system with the first team to reach 8.5 points or higher winning. Time control is 15 minutes plus a 2 second increment per move.
For more information on the rules, see the following link
2017: Inaugural season
The first season started on January 11, 2017 and ended March 26, 2017.[5][6] 48 teams participated, twelve of which had previously participated in the USCL. After the end of the first season, the St. Louis Arch Bishops defeated the Norway Gnomes, thus securing their first title.[7] The PCL has a total prize fund of $50,000 compared to a prize fund of $10,000 in the USCL.[8]
Standings [9]
| Key | W = Win | L = Loss | TB = Tiebreaker | GP = Game Points |
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Notes
- y – Clinched Division
- x – Clinched Playoff Berth
Playoffs
After the end of the regular season, the top six teams from each division qualify for the playoffs with each team being seeded 1-6 based on regular season wins.
Eastern division
| Division Quarterfinals | Division Semifinals | Division Championship | |||||||||||
| 1 | Delhi Dynamite | 6.5 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Norway Gnomes | 9 | 4 | Norway Gnomes | 9.5 | ||||||||
| 5 | Mumbai Movers | 7 | 4 | Norway Gnomes | 9.5 | ||||||||
| 3 | Gorky Stormbringers | 6.5 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Budapest Gambit | 6.5 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Gorky Stormbringers | 8 | 3 | Gorky Stormbringers | 9.5 | ||||||||
| 6 | Riga Magicians | 8 | |||||||||||
Central division
| Division Quarterfinals | Division Semifinals | Division Championship | |||||||||||
| 1 | Marseille Migraines | 10.5 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Cannes Blockbusters | 7 | 5 | London Lions | 5.5 | ||||||||
| 5 | London Lions | 9 | 1 | Marseille Migraines | 6.5 | ||||||||
| 2 | Stockholm Snowballs | 9.5 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Stockholm Snowballs | 8.5 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Amsterdam Mosquitoes | 7.5 | 6 | London Towers | 7.5 | ||||||||
| 6 | London Towers | 8.5 | |||||||||||
Atlantic division
| Division Quarterfinals | Division Semifinals | Division Championship | |||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal Chessbrahs | 9 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Montclair Sopranos | 9 | 4 | Montclair Sopranos | 7 | ||||||||
| 5 | Philadelphia Inventors | 7 | 1 | Montreal Chessbrahs | 10 | ||||||||
| 2 | Buenos Aires Krakens | 6 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Buenos Aires Krakens | 10 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Toronto Dragons | 7.5 | 6 | Miami Champions | 6 | ||||||||
| 6 | Miami Champions | 8.5 | |||||||||||
Pacific division
| Division Quarterfinals | Division Semifinals | Division Championship | |||||||||||
| 1 | St. Louis Arch Bishops | 8.5 | |||||||||||
| 4 | San Diego Surfers | 9.5 | 4 | San Diego Surfers | 7.5 | ||||||||
| 5 | Rio Grande Ospreys | 6.5 | 1 | St. Louis Arch Bishops | 8 | ||||||||
| 2 | Webster Windmills | 8 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Webster Windmills | 9.5 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Dallas Destiny | 7.5 | 6 | San Jose Hackers | 6.5 | ||||||||
| 6 | San Jose Hackers | 8.5 | |||||||||||
Semifinals and championship
During the semifinal round, regardless of the participating teams, the winner of the Eastern Division will play the winner of the Central Division, and the winner of the Atlantic Division will play the winner of the Pacific Division.
| Semifinals | PCL Championship | ||||||||
| E4 | Norway Gnomes | 10 | |||||||
| C2 | Stockholm Snowballs | 6 | |||||||
| E4 | Norway Gnomes | 7 | |||||||
| P1 | St. Louis Arch Bishops | 9 | |||||||
| A1 | Montreal Chessbrahs | 8 (8, 1) | |||||||
| P1 | St. Louis Arch Bishops | 8 (8, 3) | |||||||
Awards
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2018
The 2018 season began on January 17 and ended on April 8 with the Armenia Eagles defeating the Chengdu Pandas to claim their first title.[10]
Qualification
In order to combat the large league, Shahade decided to cut the league from 48 teams to 32 teams as he believed the inaugural season was "a bit too large and chaotic".In order to determine which teams would return, he used the following:[11][12][13]
- 24 teams invited
- 6 teams per Qualifier Tournament
- 2 teams per fan vote
Qualification tournament
The qualification tournament took place on November 3 with two qualifiers. The event format was stated on the PRO Chess League website.[14]
- 13 round individual Swiss using time format of 3|2
- Scores determined by adding sum of scores from all four team members
- Top 2 teams from each qualifying tournament automatically qualify for PCL
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*Won fan vote to qualify for Stage 2
Super Saturday and Super Sunday
For 2018, the PCL introduced a new match format which allowed teams to play outside of their division. In these matches, each team played one single four-game match against eight other teams on Saturday, and another eight on Sunday. Once every team had played sixteen other teams, the total match points were added up. The following prizes were given:[15][16]
- 1st: 1 match win + $500
- 2nd-6th: 1 match win
- 7th-10th: 1 match draw
- 11th-16th: 1 match loss
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Standings [17]
The top four teams from each division qualify for the playoffs while the two worst teams are relegated from the league and will have to partake in the qualifiers in order to rejoin the league.[18]
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Playoffs
After the regular season, the top four teams from each division qualify for the playoffs with the teams being seeded 1-4 in their division. In addition, the teams that won their division were invited to play the final two round in San Francisco at the Folsom Street Foundry.[19][20]
| Division Semifinals March 13 | Division Championship March 21 | Semifinals April 7 San Francisco | PCL Championship April 8 San Francisco | ||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Armenia Eagles | 10.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Estonia Horses | 5.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Armenia Eagles | 8** | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern | |||||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Mumbai Movers | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Delhi Dynamite | 7.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| E3 | Mumbai Movers | 8.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Armenia Eagles | 8.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| A3 | St. Louis Arch Bishops | 7.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| A1 | Webster Windmills | 7.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Minnesota Blizzard | 8.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Minnesota Blizzard | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| Atlantic | |||||||||||||||||||
| A3 | St. Louis Arch Bishops | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Pittsburgh Pawngrabbers | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| A3 | St. Louis Arch Bishops | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| E1 | Armenia Eagles | 12*** | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Chengdu Pandas | 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| P1 | San Diego Surfers | 5.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| P4 | Australia Kangaroos | 10.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| P4 | Australia Kangaroos | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| Pacific | |||||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Chengdu Pandas | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Chengdu Pandas | 8* | |||||||||||||||||
| P3 | Dallas Destiny | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | Chengdu Pandas | 9.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Ljubljana Turtles | 6.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Stockholm Snowballs | 7.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Ljubljana Turtles | 8.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Ljubljana Turtles | 9.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| Central | |||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Marseille Migraines | 6.5 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Marseille Migraines | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| C3 | Cannes Blockbusters | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3rd Place Game | ||||
| A3 | St. Louis Arch Bishops | 9.5 | ||
| C4 | Ljubljana Turtles | 6.5 | ||
*Advanced due to higher seed
**Advanced due to higher draw odds
***Triple overtime victory
Awards [21]
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All-star game
The 2018 all-star game will be scheduled on September 8 with stage 1 and on September 9 for stage 2. The following event format will be used.[22]
- Stage 1: Round-robin tournament where every player plays one game against everyone else from other three teams, total of 12 games (Time control = 3|1)
- Stage 2: Knockout round. Seeding determined by total number of points in stage 1 (Time control = 3|0)
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | Pacific Division | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Atlantic Division | 4 | 2 | Atlantic Division | 3 | ||||||||
| 3 | Central Division | 2 | 4 | Eastern Division | 2 | ||||||||
| 4 | Eastern Division | 4 | |||||||||||
2019
The 2019 season started on November 9 with the Qualification Tournament in order to decide the expansion teams and will end on May 5.[23][24]
Qualification tournament
The qualification tournament took place on November 3 with two qualifiers. The event format was stated on the PRO Chess League website.[14]
- 13 round individual Swiss using time format of 3|2
- Scores determined by adding sum of scores from all four team members
- Top 2 teams from each qualifying tournament automatically qualify for PCL
|
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*Won fan vote to qualify for Stage 2
Championship history
| Team | Year |
|---|---|
 St. Louis Arch Bishops (1) |
2017 |
 Armenia Eagles (1) |
2018 |
| St. Louis Arch Bishops (2) |
2019 |
| St. Louis Arch Bishops (3) |
2020 |
Critic response
Supporters say the league's worldwide distribution, the prize money, and the participation of many of the world's top-rated players may create a new level of competition and awareness for the game. It is anticipated that the new formats are leading to a "rise in popularity of online and rapid chess". In addition, the PCL has the potential to dramatically change chess culture and could lead to corporate sponsorships. This change from an "individual and slow game," to a relatively quick and team format, has made the offering more viewer friendly.[4]
In a 2017 article, Greg Shahade made a similar statement to what Eric Rosen mentioned. Shahade talked about the league featuring worldwide team competition, using the scheveningen system which gives lower rated players the chance to pull upset each week, and having the chance to "revolutionize chess".[25][26]
In an article written by ESPN, Viswanathan Anand spoke about how convenient it was to play online compared to playing over-the-board.[27]
Here you don't get together with the team the previous night to discuss strategy, so it's far more improvised. In all leagues you play one game a day. Here you play four, so you're very alive to the evolving score.
References
- Doggers, Peter (August 25, 2016). "U.S. Chess League Becomes PRO Chess League". United States Chess Federation. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
The Professional Rapid Online (PRO) Chess League is the combined vision of what the USCL and Chess.com see as the future of high-stakes, top-level, entertaining chess. Unlike its predecessor, the USCL, the PRO Chess League will have faster time controls, provide more flexibility in forming and managing teams, and allow for "free agent" acquisitions from all over the world. The fundamental goal will remain promoting the growth and togetherness of the... local community chess clubs.
- "Pro Chess League". QuantumGambitz. January 2, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- Copeland, Sam (December 24, 2016). "48 Teams, Over 100 Grandmasters To Play PRO Chess League". United States Chess Federation. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- Rosen, Eric (January 19, 2017). "PRO Chess League: Bringing Chess into Mainstream Sports Culture". KWMU National Public Radio. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
While it’s hard to say whether chess will ever become as popular as major sports, I wouldn’t be surprised if the PRO Chess league creates a popularity surge in chess in the years to come.
- US Chess (January 9, 2017). "The PRO Chess League Begins on Wednesday". United States Chess Federation. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- PROChessLeague (December 19, 2016). "2017 PRO Chess League Schedule". United States Chess Federation. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- https://www.chess.com/news/view/saint-louis-arch-bishops-win-inaugural-pro-league-title-7360
- Rensch, Daniel (January 10, 2017). "PRO Chess League Prize Fund Increased To $50k+". United States Chess Federation. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- (PROChessLeague), PRO Chess League. "2017 PRO Chess League: Standings". Chess.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
- (MikeKlein), Mike Klein. "Armenia Eagles Win PRO Chess League In Triple Overtime". Chess.com. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- https://www.chess.com/news/view/pro-league-qualifier-40-teams-vie-for-8-spots-3530
- https://www.chess.com/news/view/pro-league-qualifiers-set-for-oct-28-7112
- https://www.chess.com/news/view/pro-chess-league-announces-returning-teams-new-qualification-system-8669
- https://www.prochessleague.com/qualifierrules.html
- (PROChessLeague), PRO Chess League. "Carlsen, 5 Of World's Top 10 To Play In PRO Chess Super Weekend". Chess.com. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- https://www.chess.com/news/view/caruana-perfect-carlsen-nearly-so-in-record-breaking-super-saturday-smashing-8119
- "Standings". PRO CHESS LEAGUE. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
- "Rules". PRO CHESS LEAGUE. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
- (News), Chess.com Webmaster. "PRO Chess League Finals Set For San Francisco". Chess.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
- (News), Chess com Webmaster. "PRO Chess League Finals FAQ". Chess.com. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
- https://www.chess.com/news/view/pro-chess-league-all-stars-and-mvps-announced-9130
- https://www.chess.com/blog/PROChessLeague/pro-chess-league-all-star-match
- (PeterDoggers), Peter Doggers. "MVL, Nakamura Headline PRO Chess League All-Stars Sept. 8". Chess.com. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
- "Qualifier Rules". PRO CHESS LEAGUE. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
- Shahade, Greg (January 9, 2017). "The Top 10 Reasons You Should be Watching the PRO Chess League". wordpress.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- "The PRO Chess League Returns on Saturday! - US Chess". US Chess. 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- http://www.espn.com/chess/story/_/id/22473355/league-own
