Terms of Service
Effective Date: May 29, 2026
Last Updated: May 29, 2026
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the LobbyChess platform, including its website, chess gameplay features, chat, rooms, tournaments, moderation tools, security systems, and related services (collectively, the "Service").
LobbyChess is operated by LobbyChess.com ("LobbyChess," "we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using the Service, creating an account, participating in chat or games, or otherwise using interactive features, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.
1. Eligibility and Age Requirements
1.1 General Use
LobbyChess is a general-audience chess and community platform. It is not directed to children.
You may browse publicly available, non-interactive portions of the Service only in accordance with applicable law and these Terms.
1.2 Interactive Features Require Age 16 or Older
You must be at least 16 years old to:
- Create an account;
- Create or use an interactive guest identity or guest session;
- Participate in chat;
- Take a seat in a room or join a game as a player;
- Enter or participate in tournaments;
- Create, manage, or participate in interactive community spaces; or
- Use other social or interactive features of the Service.
By creating an account, beginning an interactive guest session, or using interactive features, you represent that you are at least 16 years old.
1.3 Users Under 16
We do not currently offer a parental or guardian consent workflow for users under 16. Users under 16 may not create accounts or use interactive LobbyChess features unless and until we provide an expressly supported youth-access programme.
1.4 Children Under 13
LobbyChess is not intended for children under 13. If we learn that a child under 13 has provided personal information or used interactive features, we may restrict or disable access, stop further collection or use where appropriate, and process deletion or anonymisation requests using the procedures then available to us. Some historical or security-related records may remain where deletion is not yet technically implemented, is necessary for security or legal purposes, or is otherwise permitted by applicable law, as described in our Privacy Policy.
1.5 Paid Memberships and Video Features
Paid memberships, if launched, will initially be available only to users aged 18 or older.
Any initial Video Chess or live audio/video feature will also be limited to users aged 18 or older and will be subject to additional terms, safety requirements, and privacy disclosures before launch.
2. Account Registration and Security
2.1 Accounts and Guest Sessions
LobbyChess may permit use through:
- A registered user account;
- A temporary or ephemeral guest session; or
- Limited spectator access where available.
Interactive guest sessions are not anonymous in the technical sense: we may process session identifiers, technical information, security events, gameplay activity, and related records as described in our Privacy Policy.
2.2 Accurate Information
You agree to provide accurate information when creating or maintaining an account and not to impersonate another person, falsely claim authority, or create accounts intended to evade moderation or enforcement.
2.3 Account Security
You are responsible for:
- Maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials;
- Securing the device and browser used to access your account;
- Not sharing your account or session access with others;
- Promptly notifying us if you suspect unauthorised access, credential theft, or account compromise.
You may not sell, transfer, lend, share, or permit another person to use your account for rated, competitive, moderated, or paid-feature activity.
2.4 Sessions and Technical Controls
LobbyChess uses session-based authentication, real-time connection controls, moderation systems, and security monitoring to help protect accounts, games, and the Service. We may invalidate sessions, terminate connections, require reauthentication, restrict access, or take other security actions where we reasonably believe it is necessary to protect users or the Service.
3. The LobbyChess Service
3.1 Current Features
The Service may include:
- Chess gameplay;
- Spectating;
- Player profiles and usernames;
- Chat and community interaction;
- Rooms and matchmaking spaces;
- Tournaments;
- Moderation and reporting features;
- Security monitoring and abuse-prevention systems;
- AI-assisted or automated moderation functionality;
- Experimental or beta features.
Features may differ depending on account status, guest access, age eligibility, moderation status, technical limitations, or future membership eligibility.
3.2 Free Access
Some LobbyChess functionality may be provided free of charge. Free access does not guarantee:
- Uninterrupted service;
- Permanent availability of any feature;
- Permanent storage of chats, rooms, settings, game records, ratings, or profiles;
- Continued availability of beta or experimental functionality;
- Restoration of game results affected by technical interruption, disconnection, misconduct, or moderation decisions.
3.3 Experimental and Beta Features
We may identify certain features as experimental, beta, preview, or limited-release features. Such features may be modified, withdrawn, limited, or discontinued at any time.
3.4 Future Paid Features
LobbyChess may later offer paid membership features, such as Persistent Rooms, enhanced room capabilities, premium tools, or Video Chess access.
Unless and until paid services are expressly launched with separate Subscriber Terms and applicable checkout disclosures:
- No subscription or paid-feature entitlement is offered under these Terms alone;
- No user is entitled to any future premium feature;
- No statement about planned premium features constitutes a promise of launch, pricing, or continued availability.
4. Fair Play and Chess Integrity
LobbyChess is intended for honest chess play. You agree not to cheat, assist cheating, manipulate competition, or undermine the integrity of games or ratings.
4.1 Prohibited Assistance During Live Play
During any live, rated, competitive, tournament, or otherwise fair-play-regulated game, you may not use or obtain assistance from:
- Chess engines;
- Artificial intelligence move recommendations;
- Opening books or opening databases;
- Tablebases;
- Move suggestions from another person;
- Browser extensions or software that recommends moves;
- Automated input tools, scripts, or bots;
- Another person playing on your behalf;
- Any external resource prohibited by an applicable Fair Play Policy.
4.2 Prohibited Competitive Conduct
You may not:
- Manipulate ratings or rankings;
- Intentionally lose games to distort results;
- Boost another user's rating or tournament result;
- Arrange dishonest outcomes;
- Use multiple accounts to evade restrictions or distort competition;
- Share accounts for competitive play;
- Exploit bugs or technical weaknesses to gain competitive advantage;
- Evade a fair-play restriction, suspension, or ban.
4.3 Permitted Analysis Contexts
LobbyChess may permit engines, AI tools, analysis boards, educational tools, or automated assistance outside live play or within expressly designated training, analysis, bot, or experimental environments. The availability of such tools does not permit their use during games where assistance is prohibited.
4.4 Fair Play Enforcement
Where we reasonably believe a fair-play violation occurred, we may:
- Review relevant game, session, event, security, or moderation data;
- Remove or adjust game outcomes where supported;
- Restrict matchmaking, tournaments, chat, rooms, or other features;
- Suspend or terminate accounts;
- Preserve evidence for security, moderation, dispute, or legal purposes.
LobbyChess may publish a separate Fair Play Policy. Once published, that policy will be incorporated into these Terms by reference.
5. Community Standards and Acceptable Use
You agree to use LobbyChess respectfully, lawfully, and without harming other users or the Service.
5.1 Prohibited User Conduct
You may not use the Service to:
- Harass, threaten, stalk, bully, intimidate, or abuse another person;
- Use hateful, discriminatory, sexually exploitative, or violent content;
- Publish illegal content or facilitate illegal conduct;
- Impersonate another person, moderator, administrator, security representative, or LobbyChess personnel;
- Spam, scam, phish, solicit fraudulently, or distribute malicious links;
- Publicly target or harass another user with accusations of cheating instead of using reporting tools;
- Share another person's private or identifying information without permission;
- Circumvent moderation, suspensions, age restrictions, safety restrictions, or bans;
- Use rooms, tournaments, chat, or other features for conduct prohibited by these Terms.
5.2 Prohibited Technical and Security Conduct
You may not, without our express written permission:
- Attempt to access another user's account or session;
- Attempt to access administrator, moderator, security, or internal systems without authorisation;
- Probe, scan, attack, disrupt, overload, exploit, or interfere with the Service;
- Attempt to bypass authentication, authorisation, rate limits, containment, security logging, or anti-abuse systems;
- Deploy malicious code, scripts, bots, scraping tools, or automation against the Service;
- Reverse engineer or exploit the Service in a manner intended to harm users, compromise security, or evade restrictions;
- Attempt to obtain or misuse session identifiers, access tokens, credentials, security reports, or private data.
Good-faith security research may be governed by a future Vulnerability Disclosure Policy. Unless such a policy is published or express written permission is granted, testing against the live Service is not authorised.
5.3 Reporting
Users should report suspected cheating, abuse, harassment, unsafe conduct, security concerns, or policy violations through available reporting channels or by contacting us at support@lobbychess.com.
LobbyChess may publish a separate Community Policy. Once published, that policy will be incorporated into these Terms by reference.
6. User Content
6.1 Your Content
"User Content" means content you submit, transmit, display, or make available through the Service, including:
- Usernames and profile information;
- Chat messages;
- Room names, descriptions, or configuration text;
- Tournament-related text;
- Reports or moderation submissions;
- Images, audio, video, or other media if those features are later enabled;
- Other material submitted through the Service.
You retain any ownership rights you hold in your User Content.
6.2 Licence to Operate the Service
By submitting User Content, you grant LobbyChess a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, transmit, reproduce, display, moderate, analyse, process, adapt for technical display, and remove that User Content as reasonably necessary to:
- Operate and provide the Service;
- Display content to intended users;
- Maintain game, room, tournament, and chat functionality;
- Detect abuse, cheating, harmful content, fraud, or security threats;
- Enforce these Terms and incorporated policies;
- Investigate reports or incidents;
- Comply with applicable law or lawful process;
- Maintain backups, audit records, or security evidence as described in our Privacy Policy.
This licence does not transfer ownership of your User Content to LobbyChess.
6.3 Responsibility for Content
You represent that you have the rights necessary to submit your User Content and that it does not:
- Violate applicable law;
- Infringe copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights;
- Contain prohibited harassment, threats, sexual exploitation, malware, fraud, or unlawful material;
- Violate these Terms or any incorporated policy.
6.4 Moderation and Removal
We may review, restrict, remove, preserve, or disclose User Content where reasonably necessary to operate or secure the Service, enforce policies, investigate misconduct, comply with law, or protect users.
Moderation may involve automated tools and may not always be accurate. We do not guarantee that all harmful content will be detected or removed immediately.
7. Privacy, Security Monitoring, and Automated Moderation
7.1 Privacy Policy
Our collection, use, retention, processing, and disclosure of personal information and technical information are described in our Privacy Policy.
By using the Service, you acknowledge that the Service processes information as described in the Privacy Policy.
7.2 Security Monitoring
LobbyChess uses security and abuse-prevention systems, including LobbyShield, to identify suspicious behaviour, protect accounts and gameplay, enforce restrictions, investigate abuse, and protect the Service.
These systems may process technical and activity information, such as:
- IP addresses;
- Session identifiers or derived security references;
- User-agent information;
- Connection attempts;
- WebSocket events;
- Authentication events;
- Room, chat, gameplay, moderation, or administrative security events;
- Security logs and alert information.
7.3 Automated Moderation
LobbyChess may use automated or AI-assisted systems to assist with content moderation, abuse prevention, or safety review. Automated moderation may be incomplete, inaccurate, or unavailable. Human or administrator decisions may override automated outcomes where appropriate.
8. Rooms and Community Spaces
8.1 Current Rooms
LobbyChess may offer public, private, invite-based, temporary, or other room experiences. Availability and features may change over time.
Users participating in rooms remain subject to:
- These Terms;
- Fair-play requirements;
- Community standards;
- Moderation and security controls;
- Any room-specific rules that do not conflict with LobbyChess policies.
8.2 Room Administration
LobbyChess may remove, restrict, archive, disable, or moderate rooms or room activity where needed to enforce these Terms, protect users, maintain service integrity, or comply with law.
No user acquires ownership of a room name, room URL, community space, or room feature merely by creating or participating in it.
8.3 Persistent Rooms Reserved for Future Launch
LobbyChess may later introduce Persistent Rooms as a paid or restricted-access feature.
Persistent Rooms are not "permanent rooms" and will not represent perpetual ownership or guaranteed indefinite hosting. Before Persistent Rooms are offered for payment, LobbyChess will publish additional terms describing:
- Membership eligibility;
- Feature availability;
- Cancellation effects;
- Room-retention or deletion periods;
- Moderation authority;
- Any applicable billing, renewal, cancellation, or refund rules.
9. Tournaments and Events
LobbyChess may offer tournaments, scheduled events, experimental competitions, or other organised gameplay.
You agree that:
- Tournament access may be restricted, modified, cancelled, or ended for security, integrity, technical, moderation, or operational reasons;
- Fair-play requirements apply to tournaments;
- Technical issues, service interruptions, participant misconduct, or moderation actions may affect tournament outcomes;
- We may preserve tournament records and related security or fair-play evidence as described in our Privacy Policy.
LobbyChess does not guarantee that every scheduled tournament or event will occur, complete without interruption, or produce a permanent public record.
10. Paid Memberships and Subscriptions
10.1 No Paid Membership Activated Under These Terms Alone
At the time these Terms are initially published, paid memberships may not yet be available. These Terms do not require LobbyChess to launch any paid service or premium feature.
10.2 Supplemental Subscriber Terms Required
Before LobbyChess accepts payment for subscriptions, premium features, Persistent Rooms, Video Chess, or other paid offerings, we will publish separate Subscriber Terms and any legally required purchase disclosures.
Those supplemental terms will address, as applicable:
- Plan names and included features;
- Eligibility requirements;
- Pricing and billing intervals;
- Automatic renewal;
- Cancellation methods;
- Continued access after cancellation;
- Refund rules;
- Failed payments;
- Price changes;
- Payment processors;
- Treatment of paid access following suspension, termination, cheating, fraud, or abuse.
10.3 No Lifetime or Permanent Entitlement
Unless expressly agreed in written supplemental terms, LobbyChess does not offer:
- Lifetime memberships;
- Permanent ownership of rooms;
- Permanent access to video or premium features;
- Permanent reservation of usernames, URLs, communities, data, or storage.
11. Video Chess and Audiovisual Features
11.1 Future Feature Only
Video Chess, live audio/video rooms, or similar audiovisual features are not authorised or governed for general launch under these Terms alone.
11.2 Separate Video Terms Required
Before enabling Video Chess, LobbyChess will publish a Video Chess Addendum or equivalent supplemental terms describing:
- Eligibility, including an initial 18+ requirement;
- Camera and microphone consent;
- Whether any recording occurs;
- Conduct and safety requirements;
- Reporting, blocking, and feature-suspension tools;
- Applicable technology providers;
- Privacy, processing, and retention rules;
- Any premium-membership relationship.
11.3 Initial Policy Direction
If launched, Video Chess is expected initially to be:
- Available only to adults aged 18 or older;
- Optional and consent-based;
- Not recorded by default;
- Subject to immediate reporting, blocking, moderation, and suspension controls;
- Capable of being modified, limited, or withdrawn during beta testing.
12. Enforcement, Suspension, and Termination
12.1 Enforcement Authority
We may investigate conduct and take action where we reasonably believe that you have violated these Terms, an incorporated policy, applicable law, or the security or integrity of the Service.
Actions may include:
- Warning you;
- Removing or limiting User Content;
- Muting or restricting chat;
- Restricting rooms, tournaments, video, or other features;
- Invalidating sessions or real-time connections;
- Containing technical identifiers or suspicious traffic;
- Suspending or terminating accounts;
- Blocking future account creation or access;
- Preserving evidence relating to abuse, fraud, cheating, or security incidents.
12.2 Account Suspension or Termination
We may suspend or terminate your account or feature access for reasons including:
- Fair-play violations;
- Harassment or prohibited content;
- Security abuse or attempted compromise;
- Ban evasion;
- Fraud, chargebacks, or payment abuse if paid features are offered;
- Ineligible age or unsupported minor use;
- Legal or safety requirements;
- Repeated or serious policy violations.
12.3 User-Initiated Account Requests
Information about account access, deletion, chat deletion, data-export limitations, and manual request procedures is described in our Privacy Policy.
Unless and until an automated user-rights workflow is implemented, requests may require manual review, and some historical, security, moderation, game, or technical records may remain stored as described in the Privacy Policy.
12.4 Appeals and Contact
Users may submit a request for review of an enforcement action by contacting us at support@lobbychess.com. We do not guarantee reversal of any enforcement decision.
13. Intellectual Property
13.1 LobbyChess Materials
Except for User Content and third-party materials, LobbyChess and its licensors own the Service, including its software, design, branding, text, interfaces, features, security systems, and related materials, subject to applicable open-source licences.
You may not copy, sell, distribute, modify, create derivative commercial services from, or exploit LobbyChess materials except as permitted by law, open-source licence, or express written permission.
13.2 Feedback
If you voluntarily provide suggestions, feedback, ideas, or recommendations about LobbyChess, you permit us to use that feedback without obligation to compensate you, provided we do not claim ownership of unrelated proprietary materials you provide.
13.3 Copyright and Rights Complaints
If you believe content on LobbyChess infringes your rights, contact support@lobbychess.com with sufficient information to identify the content and the nature of your claim.
LobbyChess may later publish a more specific copyright-notice procedure.
14. Service Availability, Changes, and Discontinuation
14.1 Availability
The Service is provided on an "as available" basis. We may experience downtime, latency, data loss, bugs, interruptions, service degradation, failed connections, matchmaking failures, moderation errors, or feature unavailability.
14.2 Changes to Features
We may add, modify, restrict, suspend, or discontinue features, including free features, experimental features, moderation functionality, security tools, rooms, tournaments, AI-assisted tools, and future premium or video functionality.
Where paid services are later offered, material changes affecting paid benefits will be handled under applicable Subscriber Terms and applicable law.
14.3 Data Preservation
We do not promise indefinite storage of accounts, games, chat, rooms, settings, analytics, or other records except where expressly stated. Our current retention and deletion practices are described in the Privacy Policy.
15. Disclaimer of Warranties
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, availability, accuracy, security, reliability, or uninterrupted operation.
Without limiting the above, LobbyChess does not warrant that:
- Games will be uninterrupted or free from latency or disconnection;
- Rankings, ratings, histories, tournament records, rooms, or content will be preserved permanently;
- Moderation, AI-assisted moderation, fair-play systems, or security tools will identify every violation accurately;
- The Service will be free from bugs, vulnerabilities, outages, or harmful conduct by users;
- Future planned features will be launched or remain available.
Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions, so some of the above may not apply to you.
16. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, LobbyChess and its operators, officers, employees, contractors, affiliates, and service providers will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of data, loss of use, loss of goodwill, service interruption, lost gameplay opportunities, lost tournament participation, or other intangible loss arising from or relating to the Service or these Terms.
For the free Service, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, LobbyChess's aggregate liability arising from or relating to the Service or these Terms will not exceed US $100.
If paid services are later offered, the Subscriber Terms may define an applicable liability cap for claims relating specifically to paid services, subject to applicable law.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited, including any rights available under applicable consumer-protection law.
17. Indemnification
To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless LobbyChess and its operators from claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising from:
- Your violation of these Terms;
- Your User Content;
- Your unlawful, fraudulent, abusive, or infringing conduct;
- Your misuse of the Service;
- Your violation of another person's rights.
This section does not apply where prohibited by applicable law.
18. Governing Law and Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of Washington, USA, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, except where mandatory consumer-protection laws provide otherwise.
Any dispute relating to these Terms or the Service will be resolved in the courts located in Washington, USA, unless applicable law requires another forum.
19. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time.
If changes are material, we may provide notice through:
- The Service;
- An account notice;
- Email, where available and appropriate; or
- Another reasonable communication method.
The updated Terms will state a revised effective date. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of updated Terms means you accept the revised Terms, unless applicable law requires additional consent.
If paid memberships or recurring subscriptions are later offered, material changes relating to price, renewal, cancellation, refunds, or paid feature access will be handled under the Subscriber Terms and applicable legal notice requirements.
20. Incorporated Policies and Future Supplemental Terms
The following policies are or may become part of the LobbyChess rules governing use of the Service:
| Document | Status |
|---|---|
| Privacy Policy | Applies upon publication and governs data processing |
| Fair Play Policy | To be published; once active, incorporated by reference |
| Community Policy | To be published; once active, incorporated by reference |
| Subscriber Terms | Required before any paid membership launch |
| Video Chess Addendum | Required before any live audio/video launch |
| Vulnerability Disclosure Policy | May be published to govern authorised security reporting |
If supplemental terms conflict with these core Terms for a specific feature, the supplemental terms govern that feature to the extent of the conflict.
21. Contact
For general support, policy questions, reports, privacy requests, or legal notices, contact:
LobbyChess
Email: support@lobbychess.com
Privacy Requests: support@lobbychess.com
Security Reports: support@lobbychess.com