Terms of Service

Welcome to CheckMate. By accessing or using the CheckMate chess platform ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. Please read them carefully.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By using CheckMate, you confirm that you are at least 13 years of age, and that you agree to these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Your Account

CheckMate uses Google Sign-In for authentication. By signing in:

• You authorize CheckMate to receive your Google profile information (name, email, photo)
• You are responsible for any activity that occurs under your account
• You may sign out at any time using the navigation menu
• You may request deletion of your account and data by contacting us

Accounts without activity for 12+ months may be removed after notice.

3. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use any automation, bots, or scripts to play games or manipulate ratings
• Attempt to exploit bugs or vulnerabilities in the platform
• Harass, abuse, or threaten other players via the game chat
• Attempt to access other users' accounts or data
• Use the Service for any illegal purpose
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure
• Repeatedly abandon online games to manipulate ratings

Violation of these rules may result in account suspension or termination.

4. Online Multiplayer Conduct

When playing online games:

• Play in good faith — do not deliberately drag out lost positions
• Chat must be respectful; offensive messages are prohibited
• Disconnecting repeatedly to avoid losses is prohibited
• Intentionally losing to manipulate ratings is prohibited

5. Ratings & Leaderboards

Your rating on CheckMate is calculated based on online game results. Ratings are for fun and community purposes only. CheckMate reserves the right to correct, adjust, or reset ratings in cases of abuse or technical error. Leaderboard positions are not guarantees of any reward.

6. Intellectual Property

The CheckMate platform — its code, design, and content — is the intellectual property of its developer. You may not copy, redistribute, or create derivative works without permission. Chess itself is not proprietary — the rules of chess are in the public domain.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or completely secure. Use the Service at your own risk.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CheckMate shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the Service. Our total liability to you for any claim shall not exceed $0 (as the Service is provided free of charge).

9. Third-Party Services

CheckMate uses Google Firebase for authentication and data storage. Your use of these features is also subject to Google's Terms of Service. We are not responsible for third-party service outages or failures.

10. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, for any reason, including violation of these Terms. You may stop using the Service at any time. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately.

11. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the new Terms. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

12. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us.