Professional Rapid Online Chess League
 | This article needs to be updated. (February 2023) |
| Most recent season or competition: 2020 | |
| Formerly | United States Chess League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Chess |
| First 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 | www |
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]
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
History
2017–present
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] Wesley So won MVP. The PCL has a total prize fund of $50,000 compared to a prize fund of $10,000 in the USCL.[8] In its second season, Greg Shahade introduced and new qualifications to join the league and an All-Star Game.
Championship history
| Team | Year |
|---|---|
 St. Louis Arch Bishops (1)
|
|
 Armenia Eagles (1)
|
|
| St. Louis Arch Bishops (2)
|
|
| St. Louis Arch Bishops (3)
|
2020
|
 Russia Wizards (1)
|
2021
|
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".[9][10]
In an article written by ESPN, Viswanathan Anand spoke about how convenient it was to play online compared to playing over-the-board.[11]
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.
— Viswanathan Anand, article by ESPN[11]
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.
- ^ a b Copeland, Sam (December 24, 2016). "48 Teams, Over 100 Grandmasters To Play PRO Chess League". United States Chess Federation. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "St. Louis Arch Bishops Win Inaugural PRO League Title".
- ^ Rensch, Daniel (January 10, 2017). "PRO Chess League Prize Fund Increased To $50k+". United States Chess Federation. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Pro Chess: In a 'league' of its own". 17 February 2018.
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