Terms of Service
Last updated: July 20, 2026
1. Acceptance of Terms
These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you and ChessMMO ("we," "us," or "our") governing your use of the chessMMO.gg website, the ChessMMO iOS app, the ChessMMO Android app, and all related game servers (collectively, the "Service"). By downloading, installing, creating an account, or otherwise using the Service, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. If you are between 13 and 18, you represent that a parent or legal guardian has reviewed and agreed to these Terms on your behalf.
2. Accounts & Registration
An account is required to play ChessMMO. The sign-in screen shows a live, view-only preview of the game world, but you must register with a valid email address and create a username to enter and play. You are solely responsible for: • Keeping your login credentials confidential • All activity that occurs under your account • Choosing a username that is not offensive, impersonating, or deceptive One person, one account. You may not: • Create, control, or use more than one account to circumvent a ban, mute, ELO floor, cooldown, or any other restriction ("ban evasion" / "mute evasion") • Operate multiple accounts at the same time — whether on one device or several — to gain any advantage in the shared world, the Expanse, trading, ratings, or events ("multi-logging," "multi-boxing," or "boxing") • Use one or more secondary accounts to feed items, trophies, resources, wins, or kills to a main account, or to otherwise inflate progress ("boosting") • Share, lend, rent, buy, sell, or transfer an account, or the login credentials to an account, to or from any other person Duplicate login sessions on a single account are not permitted — a new login will automatically terminate any existing session for that account. We may treat accounts that share hardware, network, payment, or behavioral fingerprints as linked, and enforcement action against one such account may extend to all of them. We reserve the right to reclaim or require you to change a username that violates these Terms or that we determine, in our sole discretion, is inappropriate.
3. Permitted Use
ChessMMO is a free-to-play multiplayer game. You may use the Service solely for personal, non-commercial entertainment. You agree not to: • Use any bot, script, macro, auto-clicker, automated tool, chess engine, or artificial intelligence to play moves, gather resources, grind skills, farm monsters, pick up loot, or perform any other action on your behalf • Automate, script, or "AFK-macro" any part of the persistent world or the Expanse (including mining, woodcutting, forging, enchanting, combat, or item pickup) • Exploit bugs, glitches, duplication ("dupe") methods, or unintended mechanics to gain an unfair advantage, or continue using a known exploit instead of reporting it • Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service • Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of our servers or networks • Inject, intercept, or modify network traffic, memory, or client state between your device and our servers • Use the Service to transmit spam, advertising, malware, or any harmful content • Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation • Sell, trade, or transfer your account, or any in-game asset, to another person Discovering a bug or exploit is not a license to use it. If you find one, stop using it and report it to us at dan@chessmmo.gg. Reporting a genuine issue in good faith will not result in penalties; abusing it will.
4. Game Conduct & Community Standards
ChessMMO is a shared persistent world with real-time chat, clans, and player interaction. You agree to treat other players with basic respect. You may not: • Harass, threaten, stalk, bully, or abuse other players through any in-game mechanism, including chat, direct messages, clan channels, usernames, or in-world behavior • "Rag," grief, or persistently target another player — for example by repeatedly following, blocking, taunting, spawn-camping, luring, or otherwise harassing them with the intent to frustrate or drive them out of the game • Use racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise discriminatory, hateful, or sexually explicit language, usernames, or content • Use chat, usernames, clan names, or any other content to promote, campaign for, or solicit support for political parties, candidates, elections, or divisive political, religious, or ideological causes, or to spread related propaganda — ChessMMO is a game, not a venue for political activity • Post real-life personal information about another person without their consent ("doxxing") • Impersonate ChessMMO staff, moderators, or other players, or falsely claim to represent us • Spam, flood, or disrupt chat, or advertise other services, websites, or account/item sales • Encourage, coordinate, or instruct others to break these rules, or coordinate group harassment of a player • Intentionally refuse to move or abandon games repeatedly to manipulate ratings or frustrate opponents • Deliberately disconnect from games to avoid a loss (the server applies a 15-second reconnection window; games may be forfeited after that window expires) We reserve the right to mute, suspend, restrict, or permanently ban any account for violation of these conduct standards, at our sole discretion and without prior notice.
5. Fair Play & Ratings Integrity
All chess move validation is performed server-side. The game server is the sole authoritative source of truth for board state, clocks, and game outcomes. Client-side manipulation of game state has no effect on the server record. ELO ratings reflect the competitive record of a human player. The following are grounds for immediate account termination and rating reset: • Any use of chess engines, AI assistants, or tablebases during a game • Rating manipulation through arranged results, sandbagging, win-trading, or multi-account abuse • Any technical tampering with the game server connection We may review flagged accounts and reset or adjust ratings at our discretion. Rating decisions are final.
6. The Expanse, In-Game Economy & Trading
The Expanse is a shared, persistent RPG world where you gather resources, level skills, craft and enchant gear, fight monsters, drop and pick up items, earn trophies, and trade — including through the Grand Exchange and public ground-loot piles. All in-game items, trophies, skills, and progress are licensed to you for use within the Service; they have no real-world monetary value, you do not own them, and they may be adjusted, reset, or removed at any time. To keep the world and its economy fair, you may not: • Buy, sell, trade, gift, or advertise accounts, items, trophies, resources, boosts, or any in-game asset for real-world money or anything of real-world value ("real-world trading" / "RWT"), or facilitate such transactions • Farm resources, trophies, or items — by hand or automation — for the purpose of RWT, or to supply boosted or multi-logged accounts • Scam or defraud other players — for example through deceptive trades, fake ground-loot "drop trades," bait-and-switch offers, false price claims, or luring a player into losing items • Manipulate the Grand Exchange or in-game markets through wash trading, fake offers, price fixing, or coordinated multi-account activity • Abuse duplication, item-generation, or economy exploits, or knowingly receive, use, or launder items, trophies, or accounts obtained through any of the above Trades and drops are, in general, final and made at your own risk; we are under no obligation to reverse trades, restore dropped or lost items, or compensate you for scams, mistakes, or losses. We may, at our discretion, remove illegitimately obtained items or trophies, roll back affected accounts, and act against everyone involved in a prohibited transaction.
7. Enforcement, Mutes & Bans
To protect the community and the integrity of the game, we may take enforcement action against any account, at our sole discretion and without prior notice, for any violation of these Terms. Enforcement actions include, without limitation: • Warnings • Muting or restricting chat, trading, or other features (temporarily or permanently) • Removing or rolling back ratings, items, trophies, skills, or other progress • Suspending an account temporarily • Permanently banning an account and any accounts we determine to be linked to it We may act on the basis of automated anti-cheat and anti-abuse systems, player reports, chat and gameplay logs, or our own review. We do not guarantee a warning before any action, and the severity of the action need not be proportionate to a single incident — repeated, coordinated, or egregious conduct may result in an immediate permanent ban. Attempting to evade a mute or ban — including by creating or using another account, or by circumventing technical restrictions — is itself a serious violation and may result in permanent bans across all associated accounts. If you believe an enforcement action was made in error, you may appeal by contacting us at dan@chessmmo.gg. We will review appeals in good faith, but enforcement decisions are made at our sole discretion and are final. Muted, suspended, or banned accounts are not entitled to any refund, restoration of progress, or compensation.
8. Game World & Time Controls
The ChessMMO world consists of a persistent 2D tile map with chess boards stationed at fixed locations, each with a designated time control (ranging from 1-minute bullet to 10-minute rapid). By sitting at a board you agree to play under its posted time control. A game begins when both seats are occupied. Colors may be randomized by the server. If a player stands up or disconnects before both seats are filled, no game is recorded. Once a game is in progress, you are expected to play to completion or resign; the Service is designed for real-time play and is not suitable for correspondence or asynchronous use. Time flags, checkmates, and resignations are enforced server-side. Our match records are final.
9. Mobile Application & Updates
The ChessMMO mobile application is distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Your download and use of the app is also governed by the applicable app store's terms of service. We deliver over-the-air (OTA) updates to the app. By using the app, you consent to automatic delivery of these updates, which may change app behavior without requiring a new app store submission. We will not use OTA updates to introduce material changes that conflict with these Terms without updating this document first. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Service (or any part of it) at any time with or without notice. We will make reasonable efforts to notify users of planned maintenance.
10. Intellectual Property
The ChessMMO application — including its source code, graphics, tile art, character sprites, sound assets, server architecture, and all related content — is the exclusive property of ChessMMO and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other applicable intellectual property laws. The rules of chess are in the public domain and are not claimed as our property. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Service for its intended purpose. You may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, create derivative works from, or reverse-engineer any part of the Service without our express written permission. You are responsible for any content you submit through the Service (such as your username or chat messages). By submitting it, you grant ChessMMO a worldwide, royalty-free license to store, display, reproduce, and distribute that content as needed to operate and moderate the Service.
11. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not guarantee: • Uninterrupted or error-free access to the Service • That your ELO rating, match history, or account data will be preserved indefinitely • That the Service will be free of bugs, lag, or disconnections • That any particular time control, board configuration, or game feature will remain available The Service may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time, including permanently. We are not liable for any loss of progress, ratings, or data that results from service interruption or termination.
12. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CHESSMMO AND ITS OPERATORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF ELO RATING, LOSS OF PROFITS, OR LOSS OF GOODWILL, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR (B) USD $10. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of liability for certain damages. In those jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.
13. Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless ChessMMO and its operators from and against any claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party rights; or (d) any content you submit or transmit through the Service.
14. Termination
We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms, harmful conduct toward other players, or any reason we deem necessary to protect the Service or its community. You may delete your account at any time by contacting us at dan@chessmmo.gg. Upon termination, your license to use the Service ends immediately. Sections 10 (Intellectual Property), 12 (Limitation of Liability), 13 (Indemnification), 15 (Governing Law), and 16 (Dispute Resolution) survive termination.
15. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles. If you are located outside the United States, you may also have rights under the laws of your local jurisdiction that cannot be waived by contract.
16. Dispute Resolution
If you have a dispute with us, please contact us first at dan@chessmmo.gg. We will make a good-faith effort to resolve any dispute informally, and most issues can be settled this way. You agree to give us at least 30 days to resolve a dispute informally before starting any formal proceeding. To the extent permitted by applicable law, any dispute will be brought only in your individual capacity, and you waive any right to participate in a class action, collective action, or other representative or class-wide proceeding. Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm.
17. Modifications to These Terms
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, notify users via in-app notice or email. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of those Terms. We encourage you to review these Terms periodically.
18. Contact
For questions about these Terms or to report a violation, contact us: Email: dan@chessmmo.gg Website: chessmmo.gg