UNITED STATES CHESS LEAGUE
                          

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Frequently Asked Questions:


Q: Why is there a average team rating cap of 2400? Shouldn't teams be allowed to play whichever players they want?
A: Think of this rating cap as a salary cap. The NBA wouldn't be so interesting if all the best players could play on the same team. In the US we have a high concentration of strong players in certain areas. If there were no rating cap, there might be just a few teams that could compete year in and year out, and this isn't the successful formula to running an exciting and competitive league.

Q: Only 8 teams?! But my city has some strong players and we would love to be a part of this! How can we sign up?
A: Because this is the first year of the USCL, we want to start it small with just 8 teams. However we do plan to expand rapidly if this idea takes off. Please send an email to [email protected] explaining why your city/club should be part of this league and we will consider adding your team to the mix for the next season.

Q: Will there be an entry fee to join this league?
A: No! For at least our first year, there will be no entry fee. However there will be a cash deposit that must be paid, which will only be returned provided your team completes the schedule. There is nothing more damaging to a league's credibility than having a team that drops out.

Q: Will there be mandatory drug testing before each round
A: No, but this doesn't mean that the US Chess League is supportive of drug usage. However we support drug testing even less.


Q: What if we place someone on our roster at the beginning of the season and it turns out they can't play anymore? Is there any way to replace them?
A: Yes. All teams will be given two exceptions, where they can replace a player on their roster with another player. However there are two rules in this situation:

Rule 1 - The replacement player must be lower rated than the player being replaced
Rule 2 - There must be at least two weeks remaining in the regular season to make this replacement. We are instituting this rule so that teams cannot add a new player right before the playoffs for some kind of strategical reasons.


Q: Will there be a slam dunk contest during the All Star Weekend Festivities?
A: As exciting a play as the slam dunk is, our nation's chess clubs sadly  lack the proper equipment to make such an event possible. However a clock slamming contest is a strong possibility.

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