United States Chess League

Last updated
United States Chess League
(USCL)
Sport Chess
Founded2005
Ceased2016
Replaced byProfessional Online Rapid Chess League
PresidentGreg Shahade
No. of teams20
CountryUnited States
Last
champion(s)		Manhattan Applesauce(1 title)
Most titlesDallas Destiny
New York Knights (2 titles)
Official website http://uschessleague.com/

The United States Chess League (USCL) was the only nationwide chess league in the United States for eleven years. In 2016 the League announced it would be opened to cities from around the world, moved to the website chess.com, and renamed the Professional Rapid Online Chess League. [1]

Contents

At its peak, the USCL comprised twenty teams, whose members included some of the highest-rated chess players in the United States. [2] Participants in the last season included Wesley So, Alexander Onischuk, Alex Lenderman, Anton Kovalyov, Varuzhan Akobian, Daniel Naroditsky, Julio Becerra, Joel Benjamin, and many other grandmasters. The League was founded in 2005 by International Master Greg Shahade. [3] In later seasons the league was run by Arun Sharma, who was the Vice President of the USCL.

2005

The 2005 season began on August 30 and ended on November 23 with the Baltimore Kingfishers crushing the Miami Sharks to win the inaugural USCL title. [4]

Team origins

The following teams were selected to play in the inaugural season.

TeamsDate Joined
San Francisco MechanicsJanuary 30 [5]
New York KnightsFebruary 3 [6]
Philadelphia MastermindsFebruary 3 [7]
Baltimore KingfishersMarch 24 [8]
Dallas DestinyMarch 30 [9]
Miami SharksApril 23 [10]
Boston BlitzApril 25 [11]
Carolina CobrasApril 30 [12]

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
New York Knights
8225.5
Baltimore Kingfishers
6.53.524
Boston Blitz
4618
Philadelphia Inventors
3.56.516
Western Division
WLGame Points
San Francisco Mechanics
6422
Miami Sharks
5.54.519.5
Dallas Destiny
3.56.518.5
Carolina Cobras
3716.5

Playoffs

The top two teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Semifinals USCL Championship
      
E1 New York Knights 1.5
E2 Baltimore Kingfishers2.5
E2 Baltimore Kingfishers3.5
W2 Miami Sharks 0.5
W1 San Francisco Mechanics 1.5
W2 Miami Sharks2.5

All Stars [13]

Team 1
PlayerTeam
Board 1 Pascal Charbonneau Baltimore Kingfishers
Board 2Lev MilmanCarolina Cobras
Board 3Gregory BraylovskyNew York Knights
Board 4Elvin WilsonPhiladelphia Inventors
Team 2
PlayerTeam
Board 1Julio BecerraMiami Sharks
Board 2Tegshsuren EnkhbaBaltimore Kingfishers
Board 3David PruessSan Francisco Mechanics
Board 4Katerina RohonyanBaltimore Kingfishers

2006

The 2006 season began on August 30 and ended on November 29 as the San Francisco Mechanics defeated the New York Knights in the blitz tiebreaker to win the championship. [14]

Expansion teams

On March 4, Shahade announced that two expansion teams, the Seattle Sluggers and the Tennessee Tempo, would join the league for the 2006 season making it then 10 teams. [15] In addition, the Carolina Cobras moved to the Eastern Division in order to make space for the expansion teams. [16]

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
Boston Blitz
8225.5
New York Knights
4.55.518.5
Carolina Cobras
4619.5
Philadelphia Inventors
4619
Baltimore Kingfishers
4618.5
Western Division
WLGame Points
San Francisco Mechanics
8.51.526
Seattle Sluggers
7325.5
Dallas Destiny
4.55.521
Miami Sharks
4618
Tennessee Tempo
1.58.58.5

Playoffs

The top three teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Wildcard Semifinals USCL Championship
E1 Boston Blitz 1
E2 New York Knights2*E2 New York Knights3
E3 Carolina Cobras 2 E2 New York Knights 2
W1 San Francisco Mechanics2**
W1 San Francisco Mechanics3
W2 Seattle Sluggers2*W2 Seattle Sluggers 1
W3 Dallas Destiny 2

*Advanced due to draw odds
**Won blitz tiebreaker

All Stars [17]

Team 1
PlayerTeam
Board 1Julio BecerraMiami Sharks
Board 2Jacek StopaDallas Destiny
Board 3Oleg ZaikovCarolina Cobras
Board 4 Sam Shankland San Francisco Mechanics
Team 2
PlayerTeam
Board 1Josh FriedelSan Francisco Mechanics
Board 2 Vinay Bhat San Francisco Mechanics
Board 3Richard CostiganPhiladelphia Inventors
Board 4Craig JonesCarolina Cobras

2007

The 2007 season began on August 27 and ended on November 28 with the Dallas Destiny defeated the Boston Blitz in the blitz tiebreaker. [18]

Expansion teams

Two further expansion teams, the New Jersey Knockouts and the Queens Pioneers, joined the USCL. [19] Moreover, the Philadelphia Masterminds changed their name to the Philadelphia Inventors [20] while the Carolina Cobras moved back to the Western Division in order to make room for the expansion teams.

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
Boston Blitz
7323.5
Philadelphia Masterminds
6420.5
New York Knights
5519.5
New Jersey Knockouts
4.55.519.5
Queens Pioneers
4.55.519
Baltimore Kingfishers
4618.5
Western Division
WLGame Points
Dallas Destiny
7323.5
San Francisco Mechanics
6423.5
Miami Sharks
5519
Seattle Sluggers
4.55.520.5
Carolina Cobras
4.55.519
Tennessee Tempo
2814

Playoffs

The top three teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Wildcard Semifinals USCL Championship
E1 Boston Blitz2.5
E2 Philadelphia Inventors 0.5 E3 New York Knights 1.5
E3 New York Knights3.5E1 Boston Blitz 2
W1 Dallas Destiny2*
W1 Dallas Destiny3.5
W2 San Francisco Mechanics 1.5 W3 Miami Sharks 0.5
W3 Miami Sharks2.5

*Won blitz tiebreaker

All Stars [21]

1st Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Julio Becerra (MIA)
Board 2Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS)
Board 3Jacek Stopa (DAL)
Board 4 Iryna Zenyuk (NY)
2nd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1 Joel Benjamin (NJ)
Board 2Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL)
Board 3Denys Shmelov (BOS)
Board 4Chris Williams (BOS)
3rd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Larry Christiansen (BOS)
Board 2 Vinay Bhat (SF)
Board 3 Jay Bonin (NY)
Board 4Bayaraa Zorigt (DAL)

2008

The 2008 season began on August 25 and ended on December 6 with a rematch of last years USCL Championship game. The Dallas Destiny successfully defended their title as they took down the Boston Blitz in another blitz tiebreaker. [22]

Expansion teams

At the end of 2007, the league announced two additional teams for the 2088 season which were the Chicago Blaze and the Arizona Scorpions. [23] [24] Once again, the Carolina Cobras moved back to East to balance the Divisions.

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
Carolina Cobras
7324
Queens Pioneers
7323.5
Boston Blitz
6423
New York Knights
5518
New Jersey Knockouts
4.55.520
Philadelphia Masterminds
2815
Baltimore Kingfishers
1.58.514
Western Division
WLGame Points
Miami Sharks
7326.5
San Francisco Mechanics
6.53.523.5
Dallas Destiny
6.53.521
Seattle Sluggers
4.55.518
Arizona Scorpions
4.55.517.5
Chicago Blaze
4619.5
Tennessee Tempo
4616.5

Playoffs

The top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Quarterfinals Semifinals USCL Championship
         
E1 Carolina Cobras3.5
E4 New York Knights 0.5
E1 Carolina Cobras 1.5
Eastern
E3 Boston Blitz2.5
E2 Queens Pioneers 1.5
E3 Boston Blitz2.5
E3 Boston Blitz 2
W3 Dallas Destiny2*
W1 Miami Sharks2.5
W4 Seattle Sluggers 1.5
W1 Miami Sharks 1
Western
W3 Dallas Destiny3
W2 San Francisco Mechanics 1.5
W3 Dallas Destiny2.5

*Won blitz tiebreaker

All Stars [25]

1st Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Julio Becerra (MIA)
Board 2Davorin Kuljasevic (DAL)
Board 3Alex Lenderman (QNS)
Board 4Bayaraa Zorigt (DAL)
2nd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Sergey Erenburg (BAL)
Board 2Slava Mikhailuk (SEA)
Board 3Marc Esserman (BOS)
Board 4Eric Rodriguez (MIA)
3rd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Jaan Ehlvest (TEN)
Board 2Tom Bartell (PHI)
Board 3 Sam Shankland (SF)
Board 4Ilya Krasik (BOS)

2009

The 2009 season began on August 31 and ended on December 7 with the New York Knights defeating the Miami Sharks in a blitz tiebreaker for the fourth straight season. [26]

For the first time, the participating teams and divisions remained the same in the 2009 season with no expansion teams. One key rule change was the elimination of bonus rating points for female players, instead establishing a bonus roster spot for the team if at least one woman was on the roster.

This season would be the last season for the Tennessee Tempo as they were replaced by two expansion teams in the next season.

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
New Jersey Knockouts
8226
Boston Blitz
7.52.523.5
New York Knights
5522
Baltimore Kingfishers
4.55.518.5
Philadelphia Masterminds
4617.5
Queens Pioneers
3.56.517
Carolina Cobras
2813.5
Western Division
WLGame Points
Seattle Sluggers
7.52.523.5
San Francisco Mechanics
6.53.522.5
Arizona Scorpions
6422.5
Miami Sharks
6422
Chicago Blaze
4618.5
Dallas Destiny
3.56.518.5
Tennessee Tempo
2816

Playoffs

The top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Quarterfinals Semifinals USCL Championship
         
E1 New Jersey Knockouts3
E4 Baltimore Kingfishers 1
E1 New Jersey Knockouts 1.5
Eastern
E3 New York Knights2.5
E2 Boston Blitz 1.5
E3 New York Knights2.5
E3 New York Knights2*
W4 Miami Sharks 2
W1 Seattle Sluggers 0.5
W4 Miami Champions3.5
W4 Miami Sharks2.5
Western
W3 San Francisco Mechanics 1.5
W2 San Francisco Mechanics3.5
W3 Arizona Scorpions 0.5

All Stars [27]

1st Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Hikaru Nakamura (SEA)
Board 2Boris Gulko (NJ)
Board 3Angelo Young (CHC)
Board 4Eric Rodriguez (MIA)
2nd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Julio Becerra (MIA)
Board 2 Dean Ippolito (NJ)
Board 3Andrei Zaremba (QNS)
Board 4Yaacov Norowitz (NY)
3rd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1 Alex Stripunsky (QNS)
Board 2 Pascal Charbonneau (NY)
Board 3 Marc Esserman (BOS)
Board 4Yian Liou (SF)

2010

The 2010 season began on August 23 and ended on November 20 with the New England Nor'easters nearly capping off a perfect season as they crushed the Miami Sharks. [28]

This season featured the expansion team from New England which shattered many records such as becoming the first expansion team to have a winning record and make the playoffs since the Sluggers did back in 2006, the best regular season record in 2010, and having the best record in USCL history (9.5-0.5), drawing only with their local competitors, the Boston Blitz.

The rules were also changed to eliminate alternates, favoring instead another permanent roster spot, increasing the size to nine, or ten if at least one woman is on the team.

Expansion teams

The league expanded from fourteen to sixteen teams this year, with the addition of three new teams which were the St. Louis Arch Bishops, the Los Angeles Vibe, and the New England Nor'easters and the folding of the Tennessee Tempo. [29] Additionally, the Queens Pioneers moved to Manhattan and became known as the Manhattan Applesauce.

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
New England Nor'easters
9.50.528
Boston Blitz
7321.5
Baltimore Kingfishers
5.54.522
New York Knights
5523.5
Philadelphia Masterminds
3.56.518
New Jersey Knockouts
3.56.516.5
Manhattan Applesause
3.56.515.5
Carolina Cobras
2814
Western Division
WLGame Points
Arizona Scorpions
6.53.522.5
Chicago Blaze
6420.5
Miami Sharks
5.54.521
Seattle Sluggers
5522
St. Louis Arch Bishops
5518.5
Los Angeles Vibe
4.55.518.5
San Francisco Mechanics
4619
Dallas Destiny
4619

Playoffs

The top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Quarterfinals Semifinals USCL Championship
         
E1 New England Nor'easters2.5
E4 New York Knights 1.5
E1 New England Nor'easters2*
Eastern
E2 Boston Blitz 2
E2 Boston Blitz2.5
E3 Baltimore Kingfishers 1.5
E1 New England Nor'easters3
W3 Miami Sharks 1
W1 Arizona Scorpions2*
W4 Seattle Sluggers 2
W1 Arizona Scorpions 1
Western
W3 Miami Sharks3
W2 Chicago Blaze 1
W3 Miami Sharks3

*Advanced due to draw odds

All Stars [30]

1st Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Sergey Erenburg (BAL)
Board 2Robert Hungaski (NE)
Board 3Marcel Martinez (MIA)
Board 4Alex Cherniack (NE)
2nd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Julio Becerra (MIA)
Board 2 Pascal Charbonneau (NY)
Board 3Michael Lee (SEA) (2432)
Board 4Alex Guo (SEA)
3rd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Hikaru Nakamura (STL)
Board 2Marc Esserman (BOS)
Board 3Ben Finegold (STL)
Board 4Aleksandr Ostrovskiy (NY)
4th Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Varuzhan Akobian (SEA)
Board 2Julio Sadorra (DAL)
Board 3Daniel Rensch (ARZ)
Board 4Nicholas Rosenthal (MIA)

2011

The 2011 season began on August 29 and ended on November 20 with the New York Knights claiming their second title in three years title over the Chicago Blaze. [31]

As in the 2009 season, the participating teams and divisions remained the same as in the previous season. The only major rule change was the increasing of roster size from nine spots to ten along with the elimination of the bonus roster spot that had previously been given if there was at least one woman on the team.

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
Philadelphia Inventors
8225.5
New York Knights
6422
Boston Blitz
6422
Manhattan Applesause
5.54.522.5
New England Nor'easters
5.54.520.5
Baltimore Kingfishers
3716.5
Carolina Cobras
3716.5
New Jersey Knockouts
2.57.516.5
Western Division
WLGame Points
Chicago Blaze
8.51.528
Los Angeles Vibe
6.53.522.5
San Francisco Mechanics
5.54.521
Dallas Destiny
5.54.520.5
Arizona Scorpions
4.55.519.5
Miami Sharks
4.55.519
Seattle Sluggers
3.56.516
St. Louis Arch Bishops
2814.5

Playoffs

The top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Quarterfinals Semifinals USCL Championship
         
E1 Philadelphia Inventors 1
E4 Manhattan Applesause3
E4 Manhattan Applesause 1.5
Eastern
E2 New York Knights2.5
E2 New York Knights2*
E3 Boston Blitz 2
E2 New York Knights2.5
W1 Chicago Blaze 1.5
W1 Chicago Blaze2*
W4 Dallas Desitny 2
W1 Chicago Blaze2.5
Western
W2 Los Angeles Vibe 1.5
W2 Los Angeles Vibe2.5
W3 San Francisco Mechanics 1.5

*Advanced due to draw odds

All Stars [32]

1st Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Jorge Sammour-Hasbun (BOS)
Board 2Conrad Holt (DAL)
Board 3Jay Bonin (PHI)
Board 4William Fisher (PHI)
2nd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Giorgi Kacheishvili (NY)
Board 2Levon Altounian (ARZ)
Board 3Tatev Abrahamyan (LA)
Board 4Sam Schmakel (CHC)
3rd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Ben Finegold (STL)
Board 2Jesse Kraai (SF)
Board 3Angelo Young (CHC)
Board 4Roland Feng (SEA)

2012

The 2012 season began on September 4 and ended on December 1 which featured the Philadelphia Inventors against the Seattle Sluggers; both making their first appearance in the title match. The Sluggers crushed the Inventors as they claimed their first title.

Expansion team

Despite making back-to-back playoff appearance and reaching the championship game the previous season, the Chicago Blaze did not play in 2012. Chicago's slot was filled by a new team, the Connecticut Dreadnoughts, featuring grandmaster Robert Hess as its top-rated player. [33] This change resulted in a slight re-shuffling of the divisions, with the Carolina Cobras team moving back to the Western Division.

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
Philadelphia Inventors
7.52.523.5
Manhattan Applesause
6.53.523
New York Knights
5.54.521
Baltimore Kingfishers
5.54.519
New Jersey Knockouts
5519
Connecticut Dreadnoughts
4.55.519
Boston Blitz
4620
New England Nor'easters]
3717.5
Western Division
WLGame Points
Dallas Destiny
7324
St. Louis Arch Bishops
6.53.524.5
Arizona Scorpions
5.54.522
Seattle Sluggers
5.54.519.5
San Francisco Mechanics
4619
Los Angeles Vibe
3.56.516.5
Miami Sharks
3.56.515
Carolina Cobras
3717.5

Playoffs

The top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Quarterfinals Semifinals USCL Championship
         
E1 Philadelphia Inventors3.5
E4 Baltimore Kingfishers 0.5
E1 Philadelphia Inventors3
Eastern
E2 Manhattan Applesause 1
E2 Manhattan Applesause2.5
E3 New York Knights 1.5
E1 Philadelphia Inventors 1
W4 Seattle Sluggers3
W1 Dallas Destiny 1.5
W4 Seattle Sluggers2.5
W4 Seattle Sluggers2.5
Western
W3 Arizona Scorpions 1.5
W2 St. Louis Arch Bishops 1.5
W3 Arizona Scorpions2.5

*Advanced due to draw odds

All Stars [34]

1st Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Sergey Erenburg (PHI)
Board 2Priyadharshan Kannappan (STL)
Board 3Dov Gorman (PHI)
Board 4Shaun Smith (MAN)
2nd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Varuzhan Akobian (SEA)
Board 2Georgi Orlov (SEA)
Board 3Joshua Sinanan (SEA)
Board 4Alex King (MIA)
3rd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Julio Sadorra (DAL)
Board 2Levon Altounian (ARZ)
Board 3Levan Bregadze (STL)
Board 4Alexander Katz (NY)

2013

The 2013 season began on August 27 and ended on November 20 with the Miami Sharks getting their first title over the New York Knights in a rematch from 2009 championship game.

This season was the first time chess.com hosted the USCL as the Internet Chess Club parted ways with the USCL. [35]

Due to the fact ten out of sixteen teams use eastern time and two eastern time teams are situated in the western division, the USCL decided to have four divisions instead of two to deal with the issue. [36]

Standings

Eastern Conference
Atlantic DivisionWLGame Points
Manhattan Applesause
6.53.525
New York Knights
5.54.521
New Jersey Knockouts
4618.5
Philadelphia Inventors
3715.5
Northeast DivisionWLGame Points
New England Nor'easters
7324
Connecticut Dreadnoughts
6.53.523.5
Boston Blitz
4.55.519
Baltimore Kingfishers
3.56.516
Western Conference
Southern DivisionWLGame Points
Miami Sharks
7.52.525
Dallas Destiny
7322.5
St. Louis Arch Bishops
6420.5
Carolina Cobras
1913
Pacific DivisionWLGame Points
San Francisco Mechanics
6.53.524.5
Los Angeles Vibe
4.55.519.5
Arizona Scorpions
4616.5
Seattle Sluggers
3716

Playoffs

The top two teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Quarterfinals Semifinals USCL Championship
         
A1 Manhattan Applesauce 1.5
A2 New York Knights2.5
A2 New York Knights2.5
N1 New England Nor'easters 1.5
N1 New England Nor'easters2*
N2 Connecticut Dreadnoughts 2
A2 New York Knights 0.5
S1 Miami Sharks3.5
S1 Miami Sharks2.5
S2 Dallas Destiny 1.5
S1 Miami Sharks2.5
P1 San Francisco Mechanics 1.5
P1 San Francisco Mechanics3
W2 Los Angeles Vibe 1

*Advanced due to draw odds

All Stars [37]

1st Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Zviad Izoria (MAN)
Board 2Jeffery Xiong (DAL)
Board 3Akshat Chandra (NY)
Board 4Ryan Goldenberg (MAN)
2nd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Julio Becerra (MIA)
Board 2Renier Gonzalez (MIA)
Board 3Eric Rodriguez (MIA)
Board 4Siddharth Banik (SF)
3rd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Vinay Bhat (SF)
Board 2Daniel Naroditsky (SF)
Board 3Vadim Martirosov (BOS)
Board 4Lawyer Times (NE)

2014

The 2014 season began on August 26 and ended on December 3 with the St. Louis Arch Bishops defeating the Dallas Destiny in a blitz tiebreaker.

Expansion team

With the addition of two new teams, the Rio Grande Ospreys and the Atlanta Kings, the league divided its eighteen teams into three divisions: Eastern, Southern, and Western. [38] [39]

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
Manhattan Applesause
7.52.522.5
New York Knights
7322
New Jersey Knockouts
6.53.521.5
Philadelphia Inventors
5519.5
Boston Blitz
3717
New England Nor'easters
0.59.513.5
Southern Division
WLGame Points
St. Louis Arch Bishops
7.52.525
Miami Sharks
5518.5
Connecticut Dreadnoughts
4.55.520.5
Baltimore Kingfishers
4.55.519.5
Atlanta Kings
4620
Carolina Cobras
3.56.517
Western Division
WLGame Points
Dallas Destiny
8226.5
Rio Grande Ospreys
6.53.520.5
San Francisco Mechanics
6422.5
Seattle Sluggers
4.55.522
Arizona Scorpions
4617.5
Los Angeles Vibe
2.57.514.5

Playoffs

Ten total teams qualified for the playoffs. Division winners were seeded 1-3, second place teams were 4-6, third place teams were 7-9, while the wildcard team whose division scored the highest in interleague play qualified as the tenth seed.

1 Dallas Desinty3
8 San Francisco Mechanics2.58 San Francisco Mechanics 1
9 Connecticut Dreadnoughts 1.5 1 Dallas Destiny2.5
4 New York Knights 1.5
4 New York Knights2.5
5 Rio Grande Ospreys 1.5
1 Dallas Destiny 2
2 St. Louis Arch Bishops2*
3 Manhattan Applesause 1
7 New Jersey Knockouts2.56 Miami Sharks3
10 Seattle Sluggers 1.5 2 St. Louis Arch Bishops2*
6 Miami Sharks 2
2 St. Louis Arch Bishops2.5
7 New Jersey Knockouts 1.5

*Won blitz tiebreaker

All Stars [40]

1st Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Wesley So (STL)
Board 2Le Quang Liem (STL)
Board 3Francisco Guadalupe II (DAL)
Board 4David Golub (SEA)
2nd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Gata Kamsky (NY)
Board 2Joel Benjamin (NJ)
Board 3Richard Francisco (ATL)
Board 4Karthik Ramachandran (DAL)
3rd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Georgi Orlov (SEA)
Board 2Andrey Stukopin (RIO)
Board 3Cameron Wheeler (SF)
Board 4Levy Rozman (MAN)

2015

The 2015 season began on August 25 and ended on December 1 with the Manhattan Applesauce defeating the St. Louis Arch Bishops to claim their first title.

Expansion teams

With the addition of four new teams, the Las Vegas Desert Rats, Lubbock Tornadoes, Minnesota Blizzard, and San Diego Surfers, along with the departure of the Baltimore Kingfishers and the Los Angeles Vibe, the total number of teams reached 20, causing a reversion back to the two division system.

Standings

Eastern Division
WLGame Points
New England Nor'easters
7.52.524
New York Knights
7.52.524
New Jersey Knockouts
7325
Manhattan Applesause
6.53.522.5
Connecticut Dreadnoughts
5.54.521
Carolina Cobras
4617
Boston Blitz
3.56.518
Atlanta Kings
3.56.515.5
Philadelphia Inventors
3720
Miami Sharks
2813
Western Division
WLGame Points
Dallas Destiny
6.53.524
St.Louis Arch Bishops
6.53.523
Las Vegas Desert Rats
6421.5
San Francisco Mechanics
6419.5
Seattle Sluggers
5.54.522
Arizona Scorpions
4.55.519.5
Minnesota Blizzard
4.55.517
Lubbock Tornadoes
4619.5
Rio Grande Ospreys
4618
San Diego Surfers
2.57.516

Playoffs

The top six teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. [41]

Eastern Division

Wildcard Quarterfinals Semifinals
E1 New England Nor'easters 1.5
E4 New Jersey Knockouts2*E4 Manhattan Applesauce2.5
E5 Connecticut Dreadnoughts 2 E4 Manhattan Applesauce3
E2 New York Knights 1
E2 New York Knights2*
E3 New Jersey Knockouts2*E3 New Jersey Knockouts 2
E6 Carolina Cobras 2

*Advanced due to draw odds

Western Division

Wildcard Quarterfinals Semifinals
W1 Dallas Destiny2.5
W4 San Francisco Mechanics3W4 San Francisco Mechanics 1.5
W5 Seattle Sluggers 1 W1 Dallas Destiny 1.5
W2 St. Louis Arch Bishops2.5
W2 St. Louis Arch Bishops 3
W3 Las Vegas Desert Rats 4W3 Las Vegas Desert Rats 1
W6 Arizona Scorpions 0
USCL Championship
   
E4 Manhattan Applesauce2.5
E2 St. Louis Arch Bishops 1.5

All Stars [42]

1st Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Zviad Izoria (MAN)
Board 2Varuzhan Akobian (STL)
Board 3Elliott Liu (LV)
Board 4Nicholas Rosenthal (STL)
2nd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Jeffery Xiong (DAL)
Board 2Joel Benjamin (NJ)
Board 3Levy Rozman (MAN)
Board 4 Bryce Tiglon (SEA)
3rd Team All Stars
Player (Team)
Board 1Andrey Stukopin (RIO)
Board 2Andrey Gorovets (LUB)
Board 3Atulya Vaidya (DAL)
Board 4Jason Shi (CON)

Titles by team

TeamTitles WonLast Won
Dallas Destiny
22008
New York Knight
22011
Baltimore Kingfishers
12005
Manhattan Applesauce
12015
Miami Sharks
12013
New England Nor'easters
12010
San Francisco Mechanics
12006
Seattle Sluggers
12012
St. Louis Arch Bishops
12014

Format

Teams consist of rosters of ten players, and each week the manager selects a lineup of four, depending on rating, form, and availability. The average rating for each match is capped at less than 2401, with certain exceptions for highly rated players.

The season starts the last week of August or first week of September and ends in late November or early December. Each team plays one match per week, and matches are almost always scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. All matches are played online at the Internet Chess Club. Team members gather at a common public location where a league-approved tournament director is present.

If either team in a given match scores two and a half points or more from the four games, that team wins the match. If the score is split at two points apiece, the match is drawn. At the end of the regular season, the four teams in each division with the highest match point totals qualify for the playoffs, which are conducted in a knockout format. In the Championship match, a drawn match proceeds to a series of blitz games to determine the ultimate winner. [43]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irina Krush</span> American chess grandmaster (born 1983)

Irina Borisivna Krush is an American chess Grandmaster. She is the only woman to earn the GM title while playing for the United States. Krush is an eight-time U.S. Women's Champion and a two-time Women's American Cup Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hikaru Nakamura</span> American chess grandmaster and streamer (born 1987)

Christopher Hikaru Nakamura is an American chess grandmaster, streamer, YouTuber, five-time U.S. Chess Champion, and the reigning World Fischer Random Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he earned his grandmaster title at the age of 15, the youngest American at the time to do so. With a peak rating of 2816, Nakamura is the tenth-highest-rated player in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NFL playoffs</span> Single-elimination postseason tournament from the National Football League

The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are the games that make up the single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the league champion. Currently, seven teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs. A tie-breaking procedure exists if required. The tournament culminates in the Super Bowl: the league's championship game in which two teams, one from each conference, play each other to become champion of the NFL.

In a group tournament, unlike a knockout tournament, there is no scheduled decisive final match. Instead, all the competitors are ranked by examining the results of all the matches played in the tournament. Typically, points are awarded for each match, with competitors ranked based either on total number of points or average points per match. A special type of group tournament is the Round-robin tournament, in which each player plays against every other player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesley So</span> Filipino-American chess grandmaster (born 1993)

Wesley Barbossa So is a Filipino and American chess grandmaster and three-time U.S. Chess Champion. He is also a three-time Philippine Chess Champion. On the March 2017 FIDE rating list, he was ranked number two in the world and had an Elo rating of 2822, making him the fifth-highest-rated player in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Shahade</span> American chess player (born 1978)

Gregory Shahade is an International Master of chess. He founded the New York Masters and the U.S. Chess League. He is a former member of the executive board of the United States Chess Federation, to which his younger sister Jennifer Shahade was hired as the executive editor-in-chief of the website. Greg had a distinguished scholastic career, highlighted by three national chess championships: tying for first in the 1993 National Junior High School Championship and the 1996 National High School Championship, and winning the 1996 United States Junior Open outright. He was the leading scorer for Julia R. Masterman School in 1996, when they won their first of four National High School Chess Championships. He won the prestigious Samford Fellowship, awarded by the U.S. Chess Trust to the top U.S. prospect under the age of 25, in 1999. The fellowship granted Shahade approximately $25,000 to train for and play in top tournaments. He was also renewed for it in 2000 and subsequently scored his first Grandmaster norm at the Bermuda Closed in January 2001. Since 2006, he has held 30 sessions of the US Chess School, where the nation's top young chess talents are invited to train under the instruction of various Grandmasters. He was the founder and Commissioner of the U.S. Chess League, which folded in 2016.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs is the annual elimination tournament held to determine the league champion. The four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held after the league's regular season and its preliminary postseason tournament, the NBA play-in tournament. Six teams from each of the two conferences automatically advance to the playoffs based on regular season winning percentage, while those teams finishing 7 through 10 from each conference compete in the play-in tournament to determine the final two playoff seeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinsaku Uesugi</span> Japanese chess player

Shinsaku Uesugi is a Japanese chess player who holds the title of FIDE master. He won the 40th Japanese Chess Championship in May 2007 and became the youngest ever national champion. He also played for Japan at the 38th Chess Olympiad in November 2008 and became co-champion of the U.S. National High School Championship in April 2010.

Norway Chess is an annual closed chess tournament, typically taking place in the May to June time period every year. The first edition took place in the Stavanger area, Norway, from 7 May to 18 May 2013. The 2013 tournament had ten participants, including seven of the ten highest rated players in the world per the May 2013 FIDE World Rankings. It was won by Sergey Karjakin, with Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura tied for second place. Norway Chess 2015 took place in mid-June 2015 and was a part of the inaugural Grand Chess Tour. The tournament has since decided to withdraw from the Grand Chess Tour.

The 2017 season is the 141st season of competitive soccer in Canada.

The Professional Rapid Online Chess League was 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. It was discontinued in 2024.

The 2017–18 EHF Champions League was the 58th edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament and the 25th edition under the current EHF Champions League format.

Mackenzie "Mac" Molner is an American chess grandmaster and chess instructor. Chess coach Michael Khodarkovsky helped Molner develop his competitive chess play. Molner won the Denker Tournament of High School Champions as a sophomore in 2004. He completed his final grandmaster norm in 2013, tying for first in the U.S. Open Chess Championship, held near Madison, Wisconsin that year.

The 2018–19 MPBL season, also known as the MPBL Datu Cup, was the second season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. The regular season began on June 12, 2018 and ended on March 11, 2019. The playoffs then began on March 12, 2019 and ended on April 25, 2019 when the San Juan Knights defeated the Davao Occidental Tigers in five games in the 2019 MPBL Finals.

The 2018 National League Central tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2018 regular season, played between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs to determine the champion of the National League's (NL) Central Division. It was played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois on October 1, 2018.

The 2019 Overwatch League season was the second season of the Overwatch League (OWL), an esport based on the video game Overwatch. The league expanded from 12 teams from the inaugural season to 20 teams. Of the eight new teams, two were from the United States, two were from Canada, one was from France, and three were from China.

Jennifer Yu is an American chess player. She was awarded the title Woman Grandmaster by FIDE in 2018. Yu is a two-time U.S. women's champion, winning in 2019 and 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Niemann</span> American chess grandmaster (born 2003)

Hans Moke Niemann is an American chess grandmaster and Twitch streamer. He became a FIDE Grandmaster on January 22, 2021. In July 2021, he won the World Open chess tournament in Philadelphia. He first entered the Top 100 Junior players list at position 88 on March 1, 2019, and as of September 2023, he was the eighth-highest-rated Junior in the world. His peak global ranking was No. 31, in May 2023.

The 2017 PRO Chess League Season was the inaugural season of the PRO Chess League. It started on January 11, 2017, and ended March 26. 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.

The 2018 PRO Chess League Season was the second season of the PRO Chess League. It began on January 17 and ended on April 8 with the Armenia Eagles defeating the Chengdu Pandas to claim their first title. This season introduced new qualifications to join the league and an all-star game.

References

  1. ↑ Doggers, Peter (August 25, 2016). "U.S. Chess League Becomes PRO Chess League" . Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  2. ↑ "The United States Chess Federation". www.uschess.org.
  3. ↑ McClain, Dylan Loeb (September 16, 2007). "Boston Takes an Early Lead in United States Chess League" – via NYTimes.com.
  4. ↑ "Baltimore is USCL Champ".
  5. ↑ "Feature 1". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  6. ↑ "Feature 4". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  7. ↑ "Feature5". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  8. ↑ "Feature 7". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  9. ↑ "Feature 8". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  10. ↑ "Feature 12". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  11. ↑ "Feature 13". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  12. ↑ "Feature 14". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  13. ↑ "USCL All Star Teams".
  14. ↑ Shahade, Jennifer. "The United States Chess Federation - Dallas Wins the U.S. Chess League!". www.uschess.org. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  15. ↑ "Seattle and Tennessee".
  16. ↑ "Carolina Moves to the East!".
  17. ↑ "2006 All Star Teams".
  18. ↑ "USCL Final Recap: Dallas vs Boston". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  19. ↑ "New Jersey and Queens join the USCL". www.uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  20. ↑ "Philadelphia Inventors". uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  21. ↑ "US Chess League News". usclnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  22. ↑ McClain, Dylan Loeb (14 December 2008). "College Star Helps Steer Dallas to Team's Second League Title". The New York Times.
  23. ↑ Shahade, Greg (December 26, 2007). "US Chess League News: Arizona Scorpions and Chicago Blaze join the USCL".
  24. ↑ Shahade, Greg (2007-12-26). "US Chess League News: Arizona Scorpions and Chicago Blaze join the USCL". US Chess League News. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  25. ↑ "US Chess League News". usclnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  26. ↑ "The United States Chess Federation - Champions by a Heartbeat: Krush on the Knights". www.uschess.org.
  27. ↑ "US Chess League News". usclnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  28. ↑ "US Chess League". uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  29. ↑ Sharma, Arun (2010-05-25). "US Chess League News: St. Louis and New England join the USCL". US Chess League News. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  30. ↑ "US Chess League News". usclnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  31. ↑ "sfarmer29 - 2011 USCL Championship Finals! [36:46]". www.chessvideos.tv. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  32. ↑ "US Chess League News". usclnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  33. ↑ "Connecticut Dreadnoughts join the USCL | US Chess League". uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  34. ↑ "US Chess League News". usclnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  35. ↑ (MikeKlein), Mike Klein. "Chess.com to Host 2013 US Chess League". Chess.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  36. ↑ "USCL sees divisional reconfiguration for 2013 | US Chess League". uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  37. ↑ "US Chess League News". usclnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  38. ↑ "Atlanta Kings and Rio Grande Ospreys join the USCL | US Chess League". uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  39. ↑ "New Divisional/Playoff Configuration for 2014 Season | US Chess League". uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-23.
  40. ↑ "2014 Board One All Stars Revealed | US Chess League". uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  41. ↑ "Divisional Configuration and Playoff Format for 2015 Season". Archived from the original on 2018-07-24.
  42. ↑ "2015 Board Four All Stars Declared! | US Chess League". uschessleague.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  43. ↑ "US Chess League". uschessleague.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.