Terms of Service
By creating an account or using GrandArena's online features, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, don't create an account (offline play requires no account and no agreement to online-account terms).
1. Eligibility
You must be at least 16 and able to form a binding agreement. If you're under the age of majority where you live, you may use the service only with a parent/guardian's consent.
2. Your account
Choose a username that isn't offensive, impersonating, or infringing. You're responsible for activity under your account and for keeping your credentials secure. One person should not run multiple accounts to manipulate ratings or matchmaking ("smurfing"/boosting).
3. Fair play (important)
GrandArena is a competitive chess service. You agree not to:
- use a chess engine, bot, database, or any outside assistance during a rated game;
- collude, sandbag, or manipulate ratings or the leaderboard;
- interfere with the service, other players, or the anti-cheat systems.
We record technical signals to detect assistance. Where we reasonably determine a violation, we may take graduated action — flagging, hiding from the leaderboard, freezing rating, voiding games, suspending, or banning the account — at our discretion, to protect fair play for everyone.
4. Acceptable use
Don't harass or abuse others, post unlawful content, attempt to breach security, scrape, or reverse-engineer the service except as permitted by law.
5. Ratings, matchmaking, and games
Ratings, matchmaking, clocks, and game outcomes are provided as-is and determined by our systems (including a server-authoritative clock and Elo-style rating). We may adjust ratings or void games affected by cheating, bugs, or abuse. Disconnection and abandonment rules are applied by the server.
6. Ads and purchases
The service may show ads (e.g. via Google AdMob). We may offer a one-time "remove ads" purchase processed by the app stores. Purchases are subject to the app store's terms; refunds are handled by the app store per its policy. Entitlements (like ad-free) are tied to your store account/purchase.
7. Your content and license
You retain your rights to what you submit (e.g. your username). You grant us a limited license to host and display game data (moves, results, history) as needed to operate the service, including public leaderboards and replays of completed online games.
8. Suspension and termination
We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or harm the service or other users. You may delete your account at any time in the app; see the Privacy Policy for what happens to your data.
9. Disclaimers
The service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, to the fullest extent permitted by law. We don't guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation, or that ratings/matchmaking are free of error.
10. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, and our total liability is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us in the past 12 months or £50. Some jurisdictions don't allow these limits, so they may not fully apply to you.
11. Changes
We may update these Terms; we'll update the effective date and, for material changes, notify you in the app. Continued use after changes means you accept them.
12. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, without limiting any mandatory consumer protections in your country of residence.