Terms of Service

Last updated: April 5, 2026

Welcome to Chess Mates. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Chess Mates platform at chessmatesclub.com, including all features, content, and services offered through the platform. By accessing or using Chess Mates, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing Chess Mates, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to any part of these terms, you must stop using the platform immediately.

2. Description of Service

Chess Mates is a free online chess platform that provides:

Real-time multiplayer chess with AI opponents and human players worldwide
Social networking features including a global feed, direct messaging, and friend systems
Voice and video calling during games via WebRTC
Mini-games including Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four, and Rock Paper Scissors
Educational chess content including guides, articles, and tutorials
ELO rating system and global leaderboards

3. User Accounts

Some features of Chess Mates require a Google account for authentication. By creating an account, you agree to:

Provide accurate information through your Google account
Maintain the security of your account credentials
Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account
Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account

Guest users may access limited features (viewing the social feed, playing against AI) without creating an account.

4. Community Guidelines & User Conduct

Chess Mates is a friendly, competitive environment. All users must adhere to the following rules:

      Be respectful. Treat all players and community members with dignity and respect.
No harassment. Any form of bullying, hate speech, discrimination, or threats is strictly prohibited.
No cheating. Using external chess engines, analysis tools, or AI assistance during rated or multiplayer games is prohibited.
Appropriate content only. All social feed posts, images, and messages must be suitable for a general audience. No explicit, violent, or illegal content.
No spam. Do not flood the chat, feed, or messaging systems with repetitive or unsolicited content.
No impersonation. Do not pretend to be another user, staff member, or public figure.

    

5. User Content

By posting content on the Chess Mates global feed (including text, images, GIFs, and videos), you:

Retain ownership of your original content
Grant Chess Mates a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to display, distribute, and promote your content within the platform
Represent that you have the right to share the media you post and that it does not violate any third-party intellectual property rights
Acknowledge that other users may interact with your content through reactions, comments, and shares

We reserve the right to remove any content that violates these Terms or our community guidelines without prior notice.

6. Intellectual Property

The Chess Mates platform, including its design, code, graphics, logos, board themes, piece artwork, sound effects, and educational content, is the property of Chess Mates and is protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from any part of the platform without explicit written permission.

7. Fair Play & Anti-Cheating

Chess Mates is committed to fair play. We reserve the right to:

Monitor games for suspicious patterns that may indicate engine use
Adjust or reset ELO ratings of accounts found to be cheating
Temporarily or permanently suspend accounts that violate fair play policies

8. Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently ban any account that violates these Terms, engages in harmful behavior, or negatively impacts the community. Violations that may result in termination include:

Repeated violations of community guidelines
Using cheating software or engine assistance
Harassment or abusive behavior toward other users
Posting illegal, explicit, or harmful content
Attempting to exploit, hack, or disrupt the platform

You may also voluntarily delete your account at any time by visiting our Account Deletion page.

9. Limitation of Liability

Chess Mates is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Chess Mates and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages resulting from your use of or inability to use the platform.

10. Modifications to the Service

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of Chess Mates at any time, with or without notice. We may also update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

11. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of Chess Mates shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

12. Contact

For support, legal inquiries, or questions about these Terms, please contact us:

Email: support@chessmatesclub.com
Contact page: chessmatesclub.com/contact