These terms are an agreement between you and Chessant ("Chessant", "we", "us"). By creating an account or using the service, you agree to them. We have kept them in plain language, but they are the real rules for using the site.
1. Who can use Chessant
You must be at least 13 years old to use Chessant. If you are under the age of majority where you live, you may use it only with the involvement of a parent or guardian. By using the service you confirm that you meet these requirements and that the information you give us is accurate.
2. Your account
You are responsible for what happens on your account and for keeping your sign-in details secure. Choose a username that is not offensive and does not impersonate another person or organization. We may reset usernames that break this rule. You may delete your account at any time from your profile, or by contacting us.
3. Fair play
Ranked chess only works if everyone plays honestly. In games against other people, do not use a chess engine, take moves from another person, or use any outside assistance. Do not manipulate ratings, for example by arranging results between accounts you control. We use automated and manual fair-play review, and we may reset ratings, remove earned rewards, or restrict or close accounts that break these rules, at our discretion.
4. Virtual items and cosmetics
Chessant may include cosmetic items such as board themes, piece skins, effects, and profile decorations, along with experience, levels, and crates. These items are purely cosmetic. They never affect chess strength, ratings, matchmaking, or your access to learning tools, and everything that helps you improve at chess is free.
Virtual items have no cash value, cannot be exchanged for money, and are not your property. They are a limited license to use them within Chessant, which can change or end if your account is closed or the service ends. We may add, change, retire, or re-balance items and their availability. If and when paid items are offered, any additional purchase terms shown at the time of purchase will also apply.
5. Acceptable use
Do not misuse the service. That includes spamming matchmaking or other players, harassing or abusing anyone, uploading unlawful or offensive content, and any attempt to break, overload, scrape, or reverse-engineer the platform or bypass its limits. We enforce automated request limits to keep the service healthy for everyone.
6. Intellectual property and open source
The Chessant name, logo, designs, and original code are owned by Chessant. Chessant is also built on open-source software and open content, including the Stockfish chess engine (licensed under the GNU GPL v3) and the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Those are used under their own licenses, which are credited on our Credits & Licenses page.
7. Availability and disclaimer
Chessant is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose. We work hard to keep the service running and your data safe, but we cannot guarantee uninterrupted or error-free service, and features may change or be removed. Data kept only in your browser (such as bot games and puzzle progress) can be lost if you clear your browser.
8. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Chessant will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, or for lost data or lost profits, arising from your use of the service. Nothing in these terms limits any rights you have that cannot be limited under the law that applies to you.
9. Changes
We may update these terms as the service evolves. When we make significant changes, we will update the date at the top of this page. Continuing to use Chessant after an update means you accept the revised terms.
10. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the place where Chessant is operated, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be handled by the courts of that location. If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect.
11. Contact
Questions about these terms? Reach out through the contact method listed on the site.