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
2017: Inaugural season
The first season started on January 11, 2017 and ended March 26, 2017. 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. The PCL has a total prize fund of $50,000 compared to a prize fund of $10,000 in the USCL.
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
Central division
Atlantic division
Pacific division
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.
Awards
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.
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:
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.
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
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:
1st: 1 match win + $500
2nd-6th: 1 match win
7th-10th: 1 match draw
11th-16th: 1 match loss
Standings
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.
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 .
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.
Stage 1: Round-robin tournament where every player plays one game against everyone else from other three teams, total of 12 games
Stage 2: Knockout round. Seeding determined by total number of points in stage 1
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.
Qualification tournament
The qualification tournament took place on November 3 with two qualifiers. The event format was stated on the PRO Chess League website.
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
Won fan vote to qualify for Stage 2
Championship history
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. 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". In an article written by ESPN, Viswanathan Anand spoke about how convenient it was to play online compared to playing over-the-board.
