Terms of Service

Welcome to AjaxChess.com. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the website at https://ajaxchess.com (the "Site"), operated by Richard Cross ("we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

Use of the Site

AjaxChess.com provides a free online chess platform with various game modes, puzzles, learning resources, and community features. You may use the Site for personal, non-commercial entertainment and educational purposes, subject to these Terms.

You agree not to:

• Use the Site in any way that violates any applicable law or regulation
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Site, its servers, or any connected systems
• Use bots, scripts, automation tools, or chess engines to gain an unfair advantage in rated games, manipulate outcomes, or artificially inflate ratings
• Interfere with or disrupt the Site's operation, servers, or networks
• Impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity or chess skill level in rated play
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other players through any multiplayer or communication features
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or extract the source code of the Site
• Scrape, copy, or reproduce any content from the Site without prior written permission

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access at any time, with or without notice, for any conduct that we determine violates these Terms or is harmful to the Site or its users.

Accounts and Google Sign-In

You may use the Site without creating an account. Certain features, such as saving game history, participating in rated play, and appearing on leaderboards, require you to sign in using Google Sign-In.

When you sign in, you authorize us to receive your display name, email, and profile picture from Google. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your Google account. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from unauthorized use of your account.

Ratings and Fair Play

AjaxChess.com uses an Elo-based rating system to match players of similar skill levels. Ratings reflect your competitive performance and are only as meaningful as the fairness of the games played.

Using computer assistance (chess engines) in rated games, account sharing, intentional disconnections to avoid a loss, or any other form of cheating is strictly prohibited. We reserve the right to revoke ratings, remove scores, and ban accounts found to be in violation of our fair play policies.

Intellectual Property

All content on AjaxChess.com, including but not limited to the platform design, code, graphics, logos, text, and page layout, is the property of Richard Cross or its licensors and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or create derivative works based on any part of the Site without our prior written permission.

Third-Party Services

The Site uses third-party services, including Google Sign-In, Google Analytics, and Google AdSense. Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms and privacy policies:

• Google Terms of Service
• Google Privacy Policy

We are not responsible for the practices or content of any third-party services.

Advertisements

The Site displays advertisements through Google AdSense. We do not control the content of these advertisements and are not responsible for any products, services, or claims made by advertisers.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The Site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Richard Cross and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the Site.

In no event shall our total liability to you exceed the amount you have paid to us in the twelve months prior to the event giving rise to the claim, or $100 USD, whichever is less. Since AjaxChess.com is a free service, this amount is likely zero.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Richard Cross and affiliates from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses arising out of or related to your use of the Site, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of a third party.

Changes to These Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. If we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at:

rcross@fiberxl.com
Richard Cross
Chicago, IL