Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

ClubsChess ("we", "us", or "our") is an online chess gaming platform operated in the Republic of South Africa. We process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information:

• Account information — username, email address, and password (hashed, never stored in plain text) when you register directly, or your name and email when you sign in with Google or Facebook.
• Profile information — country, club membership, avatar/profile picture, and bio, if you choose to add them.
• Gameplay data — game history, moves, ratings, statistics, and chat messages sent on the platform.
• Payment information — subscription and purchase records for Ad-Free plans. Card and payment details are processed entirely by our payment provider, PayFast — we never see or store your card number.
• Technical information — IP address, device type, and basic usage logs, collected automatically for security and abuse prevention (e.g. rate limiting, anti-cheat detection).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Create and manage your account, and let you sign in.
• Run core gameplay features — matchmaking, ratings, game history, chat, and club competitions.
• Process payments and manage subscriptions through PayFast.
• Detect and act on abuse, cheating, and violations of our Terms & Conditions.
• Communicate with you about your account, such as email verification or moderation notices.
• Improve the reliability and performance of the platform.

4. Sign in with Google / Facebook

If you choose to sign in using Google or Facebook, we receive basic profile information (name, email address, and profile picture) from that provider to create or link your ClubsChess account. We do not receive your Google or Facebook password, and we do not post to your social accounts on your behalf.

5. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We only share information with:

• PayFast, to process payments for subscriptions and purchases.
• Other users, limited to what you choose to make visible on your public profile (username, rating, club, avatar) and what you post in chat.
• Law enforcement or regulators, only where required by law.

6. Data Retention

We retain your account and gameplay data for as long as your account remains active. If you delete your account, we remove or anonymise your personal information within a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain records (e.g. payment records) for legal or accounting purposes. You can request deletion at any time — see how to delete your account.

7. Your Rights

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate information.
• Request deletion of your account and associated personal information.
• Object to certain uses of your information.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@clubschess.com.

8. Children's Privacy

ClubsChess is not directed at children under 13. Users aged 13–17 may only use the platform with the consent of a parent or legal guardian, as set out in our Terms & Conditions.

9. Security

We use industry-standard measures — including password hashing and secure connections (HTTPS) — to protect your information. No online platform can guarantee absolute security, but we work to keep your data safe and to respond quickly to any issue.

10. Advertising & Cookies

We may display advertising on clubschess.com through third-party advertising vendors, including Google. These vendors use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the internet.

You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalised advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info.

11. Mobile App

The ClubsChess Android app loads the same platform as clubschess.com and collects the same information described in this policy. The app requests only internet access — it does not access your contacts, camera, location, or other device data.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date above when changes are made. Continued use of the platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact us:

• Email: support@clubschess.com
• Website: clubschess.com