Privacy Policy
Chess Match helps adults find people to play chess with in person. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who can see it, and the choices you have. If anything is unclear, email chessmatchsupport@gmail.com.
1. Who is responsible
Chess Match is operated by Odai Merheg, an individual based in Prague, Czech Republic ("we", "us"). We are the controller of your personal data. Contact: chessmatchsupport@gmail.com.
2. The short version
- You must be 18 or older to use Chess Match.
- Other users of the app can see your profile: name, age, photos, level, city, languages, bio, favorite openings, your "available now" status and an approximate distance. They never see your exact date of birth or your exact location.
- We do not sell your data and we do not show ads. The current version has no advertising or analytics tools.
- You can delete your account inside the app at any time.
3. Information we collect
| Category | What it includes | Why we use it |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Email address and password. The password is handled by Firebase Authentication and we cannot see it. We send you one email to confirm your address; until you confirm it, your profile is not shown to other players. | Create and secure your account, and keep fake accounts out. |
| Profile you create | Name, gender (man, woman or "prefer not to say"), chess level, optional rating, preferred time control, favorite openings, languages, city, optional neighborhood, optional bio, optional zodiac sign, and up to three photos. | Show your profile to other players. Gender is not shown on your profile card; it is only used so other players can use the optional gender filter. |
| Date of birth | We show your age, not your birth date. We store your birth month, birth year and age with your profile. Your full date of birth is kept in a private record that only your account can read, so we can keep your age up to date. | Enforce the 18+ rule, show your age, and (optionally) your zodiac sign. |
| Approximate location | With your permission, we read your device location and save a rounded version (about 1 km accuracy) with your profile. | Sort nearby players and show approximate distances. |
| Precise location (on your device) | Used on your device to center maps and to find a midpoint between you and a match. We do not store it. If you tap "Use my location" to fill in your city, your phone's operating system may send your coordinates to Apple's or Google's location services to look up the city name. | Maps and city suggestion. |
| Activity in the app | Your challenge and skip choices, matches, messages, game proposals (place, date, time, note), online blitz games you play with your matches (moves, clock times and result), your "available now" status, people you block, and reports you send. | Run matching, chat and game planning, and keep users safe. |
| Daily puzzle | The app downloads the daily puzzle from Lichess (lichess.org), which means Lichess can see your IP address when your phone makes that request. Your puzzle streak is stored only on your device. | Show the daily puzzle. |
| Chess spots | Places you suggest: name, description, type and location. | Build the map of places to play. |
| Photos from your library | Only the photos you choose to upload. The app does not access the rest of your library. | Profile photos. |
| Technical data | Our providers (Google, through Firebase) process technical data such as your IP address as part of running sign-in and the database. | Operate and secure the service. Not used for advertising. |
4. Why we use your data (legal bases)
- To provide the app (contract): creating your account, showing profiles, matching, chat, game proposals and maps.
- To keep people safe (legitimate interests and legal obligations): handling reports and blocks, enforcing the 18+ rule and our Terms, and preventing abuse.
- Optional features (consent): location, photos and showing your zodiac sign. You can withdraw consent at any time by changing your phone permissions, editing your profile, or deleting your account.
- To communicate with you: answering your support emails and sending important service notices.
We do not make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
5. Who can see your information
- Other users. Profile information, photos, your "available now" status and an approximate distance. If you match with someone, they can chat with you and see the messages and game proposals you send them.
- Our providers. Google provides Firebase Authentication and Cloud Firestore, which store your account and app data. Our database is hosted in Google's European multi-region location. When you open a map, Google Maps (Android) or Apple Maps (iPhone) may receive data under their own privacy policies.
- The operator. As the operator we have technical access to the database. We do not routinely read private conversations. We may review content that is reported to us.
- Authorities. We may disclose information if the law requires it or to protect someone's safety.
We do not sell your personal data and we do not share it for advertising.
6. How long we keep it, and deleting your account
We keep your data while your account exists. You can delete your account in the app (Profile, then Delete my account). This deletes your profile, photos, private date-of-birth record, matches, games and all messages (they disappear for the other person too), your challenges and blocks, pending chess spot suggestions, and your sign-in account. Approved chess spots stay on the map. Reports and blocks other users made about you are kept for safety and legal reasons, and backups held by our provider are overwritten after a limited time. See also how to delete your account.
7. Your rights
If you are in the European Economic Area or the UK, you have the right to access your data, correct it (you can edit your profile in the app), delete it, restrict or object to its use, receive a copy of the data you gave us, and withdraw consent. To use these rights, email chessmatchsupport@gmail.com. We will reply within one month. You can also complain to your local data protection authority, for example the Office for Personal Data Protection in the Czech Republic.
8. Children
Chess Match is only for people aged 18 or older. If we learn that someone under 18 has an account, we will delete it. If you believe a minor is using the app, please report the profile or email us.
9. Security
Data is sent over encrypted connections and protected by access rules in our database. No system is perfectly secure, and messages are not end-to-end encrypted. Please use a strong, unique password.
10. International transfers
Google may process data in countries outside your own. Where required, transfers rely on safeguards such as standard contractual clauses described in Google's terms.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. We will change the date above, and tell you in the app if the changes are important.
12. Contact
Email chessmatchsupport@gmail.com.