Legal

Terms of Service

Effective: 1 March 2026 Last updated: March 2026 Global Platform

Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using ChessConnect from anywhere in the world, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use our platform.

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of ChessConnect ("Platform", "we", "us", "our"), a global chess coach marketplace operated from India. These Terms apply to all visitors, coaches, and any other users of the Platform, regardless of country of access.

By using ChessConnect, you confirm that you are either at least 18 years of age, or that you are a minor accessing the platform with parental or guardian knowledge for the purpose of finding a chess coach.

The Platform

ChessConnect is a global directory platform that connects individual chess coaches with students and parents worldwide. Coaches list their profiles; students discover and contact coaches directly. The platform is operated from Pune, Maharashtra, India.

ChessConnect is not a party to any coaching arrangement. We do not provide chess coaching services ourselves. All coaching sessions, fees, scheduling, and agreements are solely between coaches and their students. Transactions happen entirely outside our platform.

The platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or uninterrupted availability.

Currently, ChessConnect is in Phase 1 — supporting individual chess coaches only. Academy listings and tournament features are planned for future phases. ChessConnect reserves the right to introduce paid features, subscriptions, or transaction-based services in the future, at which point these Terms will be updated accordingly.

Coach Accounts & Registration

To list yourself as a coach on ChessConnect, you must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Sign in using a valid Google account (Google OAuth is our only authentication method)
  • Provide accurate and truthful information during registration
  • Own or have authorised access to the WhatsApp number you register with
  • Submit to manual verification by the ChessConnect team before your profile goes live
  • Be the legitimate holder of any FIDE ID and credentials you submit

Profile activation is at the sole discretion of ChessConnect. We reserve the right to reject or deactivate any profile without notice.

One Google account may only be linked to one coach profile. One WhatsApp number may only be associated with one coach profile. Duplicate registrations will be removed immediately.

Coach Obligations

As a registered coach on ChessConnect, you agree to:

  • Keep your profile information accurate, current, and truthful at all times
  • Only claim FIDE ratings, titles, and credentials that genuinely belong to you
  • Respond to student enquiries in a professional and timely manner
  • Conduct coaching sessions ethically, professionally, and lawfully
  • Not use ChessConnect to promote services unrelated to chess coaching
  • Inform us promptly if your contact details change so students can continue to reach you
  • Not engage in conduct that could harm ChessConnect's reputation or other coaches on the platform

Coaches listed on ChessConnect are independent professionals. You are solely responsible for the coaching services you provide, any agreements you make with students, all applicable taxes in your jurisdiction, and compliance with any local regulations governing tutoring or coaching services in your country.

Nothing in these Terms creates an employment, partnership, agency, franchise, or joint venture relationship between ChessConnect and any coach listed on the platform.

Prohibited Conduct

The following are strictly prohibited on ChessConnect:

  • Submitting false, misleading, or fraudulent information in your profile
  • Claiming FIDE credentials, ratings, or titles that do not belong to you
  • Impersonating another coach, person, or entity
  • Uploading offensive, inappropriate, or copyrighted photos you do not own
  • Using the platform for spam, scams, or solicitation unrelated to chess coaching
  • Attempting to scrape, harvest, or systematically collect data from coach profiles
  • Using automated tools, bots, scripts, or data mining techniques to extract information from the platform without our prior written permission
  • Interfering with the platform's security, integrity, or functionality
  • Creating multiple profiles for the same individual
  • Using automated bots, crawlers, or scripts to access the platform
  • Attempting to circumvent any security or verification measures on the platform

Violation of any of the above may result in immediate and permanent removal of your profile. ChessConnect reserves the right to report fraudulent activity to relevant authorities in any jurisdiction.

Your Content

By submitting content to ChessConnect (including your bio, photo, profile details, links, and any other information), you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display that content on our platform for the purpose of connecting you with students globally.

You retain full ownership of your content. We will not use your content for advertising, sell it to third parties, or use it for any purpose beyond operating ChessConnect.

You warrant that all content you submit is accurate, does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party, and complies with applicable law in your jurisdiction.

ChessConnect does not verify the accuracy of all coach claims beyond our basic manual review process. We are not responsible for inaccurate or misleading information submitted by coaches.

Moderation & Approval

All coach profiles are reviewed manually by the ChessConnect team before being made public. We reserve the right to:

  • Approve or reject any profile submission at our sole discretion
  • Edit profile content to correct formatting or remove inappropriate material
  • Suspend or permanently remove profiles that violate these Terms
  • Remove profiles reported by users for legitimate concerns
  • Remove profiles that have been inactive or unreachable for an extended period

Moderation decisions are final. If you believe your profile was removed in error, contact us at chessconnect.in@gmail.com and we will review your case.

Disclaimer

ChessConnect is a discovery platform only. We do not:

  • Guarantee the quality, competence, or suitability of any coach listed
  • Verify every credential, rating, or claim made by coaches beyond our basic manual review
  • Take responsibility for the outcome or quality of any coaching arrangement
  • Mediate or arbitrate disputes between coaches and students
  • Guarantee the availability or response time of any listed coach

Students, parents, and guardians are solely responsible for conducting their own due diligence before engaging any coach. We strongly recommend an initial trial session before committing to ongoing coaching.

No background checks: ChessConnect does not conduct criminal background checks, identity verification beyond basic profile review, or any other vetting of coaches. Users are solely responsible for evaluating the suitability and safety of any coach they engage.

Minor students: If the student is a minor, the parent or legal guardian is responsible for supervising the coaching relationship and all communications with the coach. ChessConnect is not responsible for the safety or supervision of any minor in a coaching arrangement.

Off-platform communications: ChessConnect does not monitor or control any communications that occur outside the platform, including but not limited to WhatsApp messages, phone calls, emails, or video sessions between coaches and students. We are not responsible for the content of such communications.

No guarantee of results: ChessConnect does not guarantee any improvement in chess skill, rating gains, tournament performance, or training outcomes of any kind. Results depend entirely on the coach and student involved.

The platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We make no warranty that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components. Use of the platform is entirely at your own risk.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless ChessConnect and its operators from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or related to:

  • Your breach of these Terms of Service
  • Your misuse of the ChessConnect platform
  • Any dispute between you and another user (coach or student) in any jurisdiction
  • Any claim related to coaching services you provide through the platform
  • Any false, misleading, or fraudulent information you submit
  • Your violation of any applicable law or third-party rights
  • Any claim arising from your coaching activities, including claims by students or parents

This indemnification obligation will survive termination of your use of the platform.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, ChessConnect shall not be liable for:

  • Any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from use of the platform
  • Loss of data, revenue, reputation, or opportunity resulting from platform downtime or errors
  • The conduct or actions of any coach or student on or off the platform
  • Disputes arising from coaching arrangements made through the platform
  • Any claim arising from cross-border use of the platform

Our total liability to any user shall not exceed the amount paid (if any) by that user to ChessConnect in the preceding 12 months. As ChessConnect is currently a free platform, this amount is nil for all users.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain implied warranties or limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations may not apply to you in full. In such cases, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by your applicable local law.

Intellectual Property

All website design, branding, logos, software code, and platform content — excluding user-submitted coach profiles — are the intellectual property of ChessConnect and are protected by applicable copyright and trademark laws.

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, reverse-engineer, or use any part of ChessConnect's design or codebase without our prior written permission. Any unauthorised use may result in legal action.

You retain full ownership of the content you submit to your coach profile. By submitting it, you grant ChessConnect a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display it on the platform solely for the purpose of connecting you with students.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect platform changes, legal requirements, or operational needs. Updated Terms will be posted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date at the top.

For significant changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify registered coaches via email. Your continued use of ChessConnect after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

We recommend checking this page periodically. The current version always supersedes any previous versions.

Termination

You may request removal of your coach profile at any time by contacting us at chessconnect.in@gmail.com. We will deactivate and delete your profile within 30 days of a verified request.

We reserve the right to terminate or suspend any account at our discretion, without notice, particularly in cases of Terms violation, fraudulent activity, impersonation, or abuse of the platform.

Upon termination, your public profile will be immediately hidden. Your personal data will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. The primary dispute resolution forum is the courts of Pune, Maharashtra, India.

These Terms are subject to applicable Indian legislation including the Information Technology Act 2000, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, and the Consumer Protection Act 2019.

For users accessing ChessConnect from outside India: you acknowledge that this platform is operated from India and that Indian law governs your use of it. Nothing in these Terms limits your statutory rights under the mandatory consumer protection or data protection laws of your own country where those laws cannot be contractually excluded.

If you are an EU/EEA resident, your rights under applicable EU consumer protection and data protection law (including GDPR) remain unaffected by the choice of Indian governing law above.

Force Majeure

ChessConnect shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance arising from causes beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to: acts of God, natural disasters, government orders, internet or server outages, power failures, civil unrest, cyberattacks on our infrastructure providers, or any other event outside our direct control.

In such circumstances, our obligations under these Terms will be suspended for the duration of the event.

Contact Us

For any questions about these Terms, to report a violation, or to request profile removal: