place · move · break the rules
Welcome to Chess Sandbox ("the Service"), operated at chesssandbox.com. By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.
You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. By using it, you represent that you meet this requirement.
Chess Sandbox is a free, browser-based chess tool for personal, non-commercial use. You may use the Service to play chess, experiment with board positions, and engage in online games with other users.
The Online Battle feature requires authentication via Discord. By using this feature, you authorize Chess Sandbox to access your Discord username, user ID, and avatar for the purpose of identifying you within games. We do not request access to your messages, friends list, servers, or any other Discord data.
Your Discord display name and avatar are visible to other players in shared game rooms and the chat system.
All chat messages sent during Online Battle are screened by our moderation system before delivery. Messages found to contain hate speech, harassment, explicit content, or spam will be blocked. Chess Sandbox also maintains an administrator-defined list of blocked words; messages containing those words will not be delivered or will be removed from chat. Chess Sandbox reserves the right to ban users who repeatedly violate chat standards.
Online Battle uses an ELO-style rating system. New players start at 1000 ELO. Winning a rated game awards +15 ELO; losing deducts 15 ELO (ratings do not go below zero). Draws do not change your rating. ELO is stored in our Firebase database alongside game room data and is tied to your Discord account.
Quick Match pairs you with another player seeking the same time control. Bot opponents are sandbox characters managed by Chess Sandbox staff: they do not use chess engines and intentionally break standard chess rules for entertainment. Bot wins and losses still affect your ELO.
By sending chat messages within the Service, you grant Chess Sandbox a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store and transmit that content solely for the purpose of delivering the chat functionality. You are solely responsible for ensuring your content does not violate any applicable laws or these Terms.
All original content, design, code, and branding on Chess Sandbox are the property of Chess Sandbox and its creator. Chess piece graphics are sourced from Wikimedia Commons and are used under their respective open licenses. You may not reproduce or redistribute the Service's code or assets without explicit permission.
Chess Sandbox reserves the right to suspend or permanently ban any user who violates these Terms, at our sole discretion, without prior notice. Bans are enforced by Discord user ID. If you believe a ban was issued in error, you may appeal via our Discord server.
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. Chess Sandbox does not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Chess Sandbox and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Service.
We may update these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
For questions about these Terms, please reach out via the Chess Sandbox Discord server.
This Privacy Policy explains what information Chess Sandbox collects, how it is used, and your rights regarding that information.
When you log in via Discord to use the Online Battle feature, we receive and store the following data from Discord's API:
We do not request or store your email address, phone number, Discord messages, server memberships, or friend list.
Game state information (board positions, move history, chat messages, clock data, ELO ratings) is stored in Firebase Realtime Database. Room records and per-user ELO may persist after games end.
Your Discord OAuth access token and its expiry time are stored in your browser's local storage to keep you logged in between sessions.
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.
Chess Sandbox uses third-party services that may process data on our behalf. Each is subject to its own privacy policy.
Authentication is handled by Discord. Discord's Privacy Policy governs any data Discord collects.
Game session data is stored using Firebase, a Google product. Google's Privacy Policy applies.
Write operations to Firebase are routed through a Cloudflare Worker for security. Cloudflare's Privacy Policy applies.
The Service loads fonts from Google Fonts, which may log your IP address. See Google's Privacy Policy.
Game room data in Firebase is not automatically deleted and may persist indefinitely unless manually cleared. You may request deletion by contacting us via Discord.
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data. To exercise these rights, contact us via the Chess Sandbox Discord server.
The Service is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date will reflect any changes.
For privacy-related inquiries, contact us via the Chess Sandbox Discord server.
This Disclaimer governs your use of Chess Sandbox. By accessing the Service, you accept this Disclaimer in full.
Chess Sandbox is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Chess Sandbox makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Chess Sandbox shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Service.
The Service contains links to external websites. Chess Sandbox has no control over the content or practices of external sites and accepts no responsibility for them.
You are solely responsible for how you use the Service and for any content you submit.
Chat messages are processed by our moderation system. While we make reasonable efforts to prevent harmful content, Chess Sandbox does not guarantee that all inappropriate content will be detected and blocked.
Service availability depends on third-party providers including Firebase, Cloudflare, and Discord. Chess Sandbox is not responsible for downtime or data loss caused by third-party service failures.
For questions about this Disclaimer, contact us via the Chess Sandbox Discord server.