Introduction

Chess.com runs tournaments and events with prizes (monetary, or other) (“Competitive Events“) that are open to professional and aspiring chess players. Our goal is to create tournaments that are fun, professional, and fair.

This Competitive Events Policy constitutes a legally binding agreement between you and Chess.com, and supplements our general User Agreement, which also applies to Competitive Events. This Competitive Events Policy is incorporated by reference into, and forms a part of, our User Agreement. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Competitive Events Policy and our User Agreement, this Competitive Events Policy will supersede and control but only with respect to the applicable Competitive Event. All capitalized terms used but not defined in this Competitive Events Policy have their respective meanings set forth in our User Agreement.

To play in Competitive Events, you must be an adult of lawful age under the laws applicable to the location in which you reside and capable of lawfully entering into a contract. By playing in a Competitive Event, you are agreeing to this Competitive Events Policy, our User Agreement, our Fair Play Policy, and all of our Terms. You also will be required to read, agree to, comply with, and if applicable, sign all related participation agreements, prize agreements, and other event agreements that Chess.com provides to you pertaining to such Competitive Events (collectively, the “Event Agreements”), as well as the Official Rules pertaining to such Competitive Event. If you are not of lawful age, then your parent or legal guardian must consent to your participation in a Competitive Event, this policy, and all other related agreements. Chess.com is not responsible for verifying the legality of your participation in its Competitive Events.

In case of disputes or disagreements concerning any aspect of a Competitive Event including but not limited to all matters relating to the awarding of prizes, your eligibility to participate in the Competitive Event, the conduct of any player, this policy, Chess.com's User Agreement, Fair Play Policy, Community Policy, the applicable Official Rules, and Event Agreements, and any other applicable terms and conditions in connection with your obligation to follow any instructions given to you by our team or in relation to any matter concerning your participation in a Competitive Event, we will have sole authority to decide and our decision will be final and binding upon you and shall not be subject to review or appeal by you or any third party.

ARBITRATION NOTICE: OUR USER AGREEMENT CONTAINS AN ARBITRATION PROVISION. PLEASE REVIEW THE ARBITRATION PROVISION IN OUR USER AGREEMENT CAREFULLY SINCE IT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS. BY PLAYING IN A COMPETITIVE EVENT, YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO BE FULLY AND COMPLETELY BOUND BY SUCH ARBITRATION PROVISION.

Eligibility

All Competitive Events are subject to eligibility requirements determined at Chess.com's sole discretion. Eligibility criteria may include but are not limited to, gender, age, compliance with Fair Play Measures (outlined in the following section), Chess.com account statistics, such as leaderboard rankings and ratings, and information registered with recognized chess federations such as federation affiliation, FIDE ratings, and titles (e.g. Grandmaster). If you wish to participate in a Competitive Event, you must include your full name on your Chess.com profile. Further, you are only eligible to participate in any Competitive Event if such participation does not violate applicable local laws. You are fully responsible for ensuring that your participation in the Competitive Event is compliant with all laws of the jurisdiction(s) in which you are a resident and must take all steps necessary to ensure such compliance, including the federal, state, and local laws of the United States applicable to jurisdictions outside the United States. For the avoidance of doubt, Chess.com does not take responsibility for your compliance with applicable law. Specific eligibility criteria for a Competitive Event will be specified in such Competitive Event's Official Rules.

Fair Play Measures

You must comply fully with our Fair Play Policy. In addition, you may be asked to comply with additional fair play requests determined by Chess.com that are intended to uphold the competitive integrity of all Competitive Events. Failure to comply with fair play requests may result in penalties and/or removal from Competitive Events at Chess.com's sole discretion. Fair play requests include, but are not limited to, any or all of the following:

Video Monitoring

Upon request, you may be required to join a video conference call with up to two cameras for monitoring by Chess.com. One camera must clearly show your full face and immediate surroundings. If a second camera is requested, it should be placed behind you diagonally at an approximate 30-degree angle on your mouse hand-side with your desk, PC (or applicable device), and monitors clearly visible (the specific angle may change depending on the circumstances). You may also be requested to share your entire computer screen for the entire duration of your games.

Environment Requirements

You may be asked to comply with various requirements pertaining to your physical playing area (“Environment“) during a Competitive Event. Such requirements may include being alone in your environment and keeping your desk or table free of clutter or visual obstructions. You may also be requested to not have any personal electronic devices, other than those used for playing or monitoring, on or near your person during a Competitive Event.

Equipment Requirements

You may be asked to comply with various equipment requirements during a Competitive Event. Such requirements may include not wearing headphones or earpieces, playing on only desktop computers or laptops using keyboard and mouse, turning off additional monitors or having them visible on a camera, and/or closing all applications and browser tabs except the specific browser and browser tab being used to play on Chess.com.

Monitoring Software

You may be required to install and use software on your computer or device during a Competitive Event that monitors your activity on your computer or device. When using this monitoring software your computer or device must meet specific minimum standards. Details regarding these standards will be made publicly available online in advance of the event. It is your responsibility to review these standards to ensure your equipment complies. This software may log your device processes and tabs, record your device screen, access your camera(s) and video, record your input and output audio, and track your mouse or cursor movement, without prejudice to other information that may be accessed by the software, provided that such information and the purposes for its collection are disclosed to you before the collection.

Inspections

Prior to and during a Competitive Event, you may be asked to submit to physical inspections, environment inspections, and computer inspections upon request by Chess.com. During a physical inspection, you may be requested to remove any glasses or eyepieces and show them to Chess.com using a camera. You may also be requested to turn your head to one side, brush your fingers over your ear, and then repeat this process for the other side. During an environment inspection, you may be requested to show Chess.com the layout and contents of your environment using a camera. During a computer inspection, you may be requested to provide a screen share of any monitors, computer's display and audio settings and/or requested to view your task manager (PC) or activity monitor (Mac).

Broadcasting

You are not permitted to broadcast or distribute any video conference call, in whole or in part, used for monitoring in connection with any Competitive Event without our previous express authorization. If you choose to broadcast your gameplay, you may be required to disable any live chat functionality, use “emote-only“ mode, and/or implement a delay of at least 60 seconds.

Proctoring

You may be requested to cooperate with an on-site proctor for a Competitive Event. If such a request is made, Chess.com will coordinate with you for a Chess.com staff member or Chess.com-approved proctor to be assigned to inspect your playing area, clothing, camera setup, computer, and any related components of any nature. You also consent to any additional security and anti-cheating measures employed by Chess.com, including but not limited to a full body sweep with a metal detector or any other security device, a reasonably non-intrusive body pat down, and the proctor observing your play during the Competitive Event. You furthermore must comply with any other Competitive Event-related security and anti-cheating measures requested by the proctor, including those that occur after match start.

Competitive Event Gameplay

Unless stated otherwise in a Competitive Event's Official Rules, all gameplay will take place on Chess.com's live server at chess.com/play/online and be subject to the following policies related to gameplay:

Player Actions

All in-game actions, including but not limited to chess moves, premoves, promotions, draw offers, or resignations made by you will be deemed final. There will be no “takebacks“ due to actions unintentionally made by you for any reason. If you accidentally lose on time, that result will be deemed final.

Connection Issues

If you disconnect during a game, your clock will continue to run until it expires or until a move is made. Chess.com staff, at their sole discretion, may permit additional time between games for you to resolve connection issues.

Punctuality

For any Competitive Event with a video monitoring requirement, you must be present in the designated proctoring call by a communicated call time.

Forfeits

You may be subject to penalties for forfeiting a match.

Communications

Unless otherwise stated in a Competitive Event's Official Rules, you are prohibited from communicating with any individual during a match except for designated Chess.com staff.

Conduct

Personal Conduct

You are required to adhere to Chess.com's Community Policy. Conduct deemed by Chess.com to involve bullying, harassment, or otherwise persistently disrespectful behavior towards other players is prohibited. This encompasses all oral or written statements or remarks, whether made in person, online, or via social media.

Match Conduct

You must make reasonable effort to always compete to the best of your ability. Collusion, defined as intentional cooperation to cheat or deceive other players, and match-fixing, defined as any offer, agreement, or attempt to influence the outcome of a game or match, are strictly prohibited. Draws offered and accepted in-game, in good faith, are permitted unless otherwise prohibited by the applicable Official Event Rules.

Dress Code

If you are requested to join a video conference call, you must wear attire that respects public norms, as determined at Chess.com's sole discretion.

Rules Violations

Investigation

You must fully cooperate with Chess.com and/or Chess.com staff in any investigation pertaining to possible violations of the requirements set forth in this policy. If you are found to have withheld or tampered with relevant information or found to have misled Chess.com and/or Chess.com staff in an investigation, you will be subject to disciplinary action.

Disciplinary Action

If Chess.com or its staff conclude or suspect that you have violated this policy, any of its other policies (including Chess.com's Fair Play Policy), or a Competitive Event's Official Rules, Chess.com and/or its staff reserve the right to take any action at their sole discretion deemed appropriate in response to such violation(s), which may include the following disciplinary actions:

• Warning
• Game or match restart
• In-game time reduction
• Game or match forfeiture
• Removal from any ongoing Competitive Events
• Partial or full forfeiture of prize money in connection with Competitive Events
• Suspension from participating in other Competitive Events organized by Chess.com
• Closing your account
• Publicly and permanently marking your account as closed due to Fair Play violation
• Public disclosure of facts, communications, suspicions, findings, and account status regarding any potential violation(s)
• Disclosing facts, communications, suspicions, findings, and account status regarding any potential violation(s) to governmental authorities or chess governing bodies, including FIDE
• Additional disciplinary action specified in the Chess.com User Agreement

Disputes

Chess.com maintains all final decisions and disciplinary actions as it pertains to rules violations, including breach, enforcement, or interpretation thereof.

Prizes

If you win any Prize (monetary, or other) in any Competitive Event on Chess.com, you acknowledge and consent to Chess.com's ongoing investigation of your games whether related or unrelated to those occurring within the event and that any judgment made as a determination of your eligibility to win any Prize or a disqualification thereof shall lie with Chess.com. Chess.com may, at its sole discretion, withhold any and all Prizes won in any Competitive Event on our Site for any period of time pending investigation into your Games. Any decision by Chess.com regarding forfeiture, reduction or cancellation of Prizes in accordance with Chess.com's User Agreement shall be final and binding upon you and shall not be subject to review or appeal by you or any third party. Prize eligibility may be contingent upon adherence to event-specific fair play measures, which may include, but not be limited to video and audio monitoring, physical and environmental inspections, as well as in-person supervision.

We aim to deliver any money Prize you win within three weeks of receiving a full and accurate claim from you, barring any unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.

Chess.com does not and cannot provide tax advice or legal advice regarding the tax disposition of any Prizes. Chess.com may disclose information related to Prizes to any tax authority it deems necessary, including by way of response to a valid request for information by any governmental body making such a request. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Chess.com may or may not provide notice to you of such disclosures in its sole discretion, which may constitute a limitation upon your privacy rights under the GDPR or the analogous data privacy laws of your jurisdiction.

General Prize Restrictions

You will not be declared an official winner until you execute and provide us with (or, if you are a minor, your parent or legal guardian executes) all documents required by Chess.com, where applicable, such as a prize agreement, payment information,tax forms or other “Winner Forms“ in order to receive payment. If you (or in case you are a minor your parent or legal guardian) fail or refuse to sign and return all the Winner Forms within ten (10) days (or a shorter time if required by exigencies) after receiving them, you may be disqualified. In the event you are disqualified, Chess.com reserves the right, but not the obligation, to award the affected prize to the player that last lost to you or followed you in the Event's standings. Within sixty (60) days of receiving an executed copy of the Winner Forms, Chess.com will deliver to you the applicable prize(s). Failure to take delivery of any prize may result in forfeiture, and such prize awarded to an alternate winner. Prizes may not be transferred or assigned until after you have complied with all your obligations under these Rules. No substitutions may be made for prize(s), except by Chess.com, who reserves the right to substitute a prize in whole or in part with another prize of comparable or greater value if the intended prize is not available for any reason as determined by Chess.com in its sole discretion. By participating in a Competitive Event, you acknowledge that Chess.com staff have not and will not obtain or provide insurance of any kind relating to the prizes. You will be responsible for all taxes (including but not limited to federal, state, local and/or income) on any prize won and on the value of any items or value transferred to you by Chess.com, and will be required to provide your Social Security number, IRS Form W-9, IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, or equivalent information for tax reporting purposes (at a time to be determined in Chess.com's sole discretion, and which may be prior to participation in a particular round or prior to receipt of any prize). Chess.com will file an IRS Form 1099 or equivalent tax withholding documentation for the retail value of any prize or other items of value transferred to you by Chess.com in accordance with IRS requirements, and Chess.com may also share such documentation with a state or local government agency as required by law. Refusal or failure for you to satisfy the requirements of all necessary and appropriate tax, withholding or other required compliance terms (including Social Security number, IRS Form W-9, IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, or equivalent information), as determined by Chess.com in its sole discretion, will result in your forfeiting the prize(s) and an alternate winner being selected in accordance with these Rules. If you do not claim the prize or satisfy the information or documentation requirements within six (6) months of the close of the Competitive Event or such earlier time as designated by Chess.com, are void, and Chess.com shall have no further liability or responsibility to you in connection with the prizes.

Any prizes pictured in advertising, promotional and/or other Competitive Event materials are for illustrative purposes only. The actual prize may vary. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between the description of a prize contained in any such materials and the description of a prize contained in the Official Event Rules, these Rules shall prevail, govern and control. All details and other restrictions of any prize not specified in Official Event Rules will be determined by Chess.com in its sole discretion.

Appearance Release

By participating in the Competitive Event, you hereby irrevocably grant Chess.com and each of its respective licensees, successors and assigns, permission to stream, film, photograph and record your performance in the Competitive Event itself and in other Competitive Event-related activities, including your name, Chess.com username, logo, avatar, gamertag or equivalent, voice, statements, image, likeness, in-home location, and other personal characteristics, information and so-called publicity rights as they appear therein (collectively, the “Appearance“) and the right, but not the obligation, to distribute, exploit or otherwise use such Appearance, in whole or in part, in any and all media, now known or hereafter devised, throughout the universe in perpetuity, for any purpose, including but not limited to, advertising, marketing and promoting the Competitive Event, the Chess.com website, Chess.com staff, and future Competitive Events.

Chess.com grants you a revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable right and license to use Chess.com marks solely as necessary for promotion of the Event. You and Chess.com shall use the other party's marks solely in accordance with the other party's trademark usage guidelines and quality control standards as the same may be updated from time to time. Neither party shall use, register, or attempt to register in any jurisdiction any mark that is confusingly similar to or incorporates any of the other party's marks. All uses of a party's marks, and all goodwill associated therewith, shall insure solely to the benefit of such party, and each party shall retain all right, title and interest in and to his/her/its marks.

Indemnification

You shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Chess.com and each of its respective agents, representatives, parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, legal advisors, officers, directors, employees, shareholders, equity interest holders, directors, successors and assigns, as applicable from and against any and all losses, damages, liabilities, deficiencies, claims, actions, judgments, settlements, interest, awards, penalties, fines, costs, or expenses of whatever kind, including reasonable attorneys' fees, the cost of enforcing any right to indemnification hereunder and the cost of pursuing any insurance providers (collectively, “Losses“), resulting from any claim, suit, action or proceeding (each, an “Action“) arising out of or related to: (i) your conduct, including your advertising, marketing or promotion of Chess.com or its marks or materials; (ii) any use, presentation, display or distribution of Chess.com marks or materials in a manner not expressly permitted by Official Event Rules; or (iii) your breach of any representation, warranty, covenant, or the obligations herein as well as the Chess.com's User Agreement, Fair Play Policy, Community Policy, the applicable Official Rules, and Event Agreements.

Chess.com shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless you, as applicable from and against any and all Losses resulting from any Action arising out of or related to Chess.com's breach of any representation, warranty, covenant, or obligations herein.

Release and Limitation of Liability

By participating, you agree that Chess.com and each of its respective agents, representatives, parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries and legal advisors, officers, directors, employees, shareholders, directors, successors and assigns (“Released Parties“) are not responsible or liable for, and shall be released and held harmless from: (i) late, lost, delayed, damaged, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, misdirected or otherwise undeliverable mail, postage-due notices, release forms, affidavits or other correspondence; (ii) telephone, electronic, hardware or software program, network, internet or computer malfunctions, failures, or difficulties of any kind; (iii) any condition caused by events beyond the control of Chess.com that may cause the Competitive Event to be disrupted or corrupted; (iv) any printing, human, typographical or other errors or ambiguities in (or involving) any materials associated with the Competitive Event; (v) any and all losses, damages, rights, claims and action of any kind in connection with or resulting from your participation in the Competitive Event; (vi) acceptance, possession, or use of any prize, including without limitation, personal injury, death and property damage arising there from; and (vii) claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy. Chess.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or cancel the Competitive Event at any time for any reason, including, without limitation, if a computer virus, bug or other technical problem corrupts the administration, security, or proper conduct of the Competitive Event, strikes, lock-outs, acts of God, technical difficulties, and other events not within the reasonable control of Chess.com.

BY PARTICIPATING IN ANY COMPETITIVE EVENT, YOU AGREE THAT THE RELEASED PARTIES WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR, AND SHALL BE HELD HARMLESS BY YOU AGAINST ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY INJURIES, LOSSES, OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND TO PERSONS, INCLUDING PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, OR PROPERTY RESULTING IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, MISUSE, OR USE OF THE PRIZE, ENTRY OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS COMPETITIVE EVENT OR IN ANY COMPETITIVE EVENT-RELATED ACTIVITY, OR ANY CLAIMS BASED ON PUBLICITY RIGHTS, DEFAMATION, OR INVASION OF PRIVACY, OR MERCHANDISE DELIVERY. THE RELEASED PARTIES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IF ANY PRIZE CANNOT BE AWARDED DUE TO TRAVEL CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS, OR INTERRUPTIONS DUE TO ACTS OF GOD, ACTS OF WAR, NATURAL DISASTERS, WEATHER, OR TERRORISM.

WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING REGARDING THIS PROMOTION, INCLUDING THE COMPETITIVE EVENT HOMEPAGE AND ALL PRIZES, ARE PROVIDED “AS IS“ WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY. CHECK LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

General Terms and Conditions

The laws of the State of Utah govern all Competitive Events. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of any Competitive Event, or your rights and obligations and Chess.com in connection with a Competitive Event, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the state of Utah, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions (whether of Utah or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the state of Utah. In the event of a claim or dispute, your sole remedy shall be limited to their remedy at law for damages, if any, and you shall not have the right to in any way enjoin or restrain the distribution, advertising, publicizing, or other exploitation (in any form of media) of any Competitive Event website, any Competitive Event, and/or any intellectual property owned or licensed by Chess.com or its respective parent companies, subsidiaries, member stations, or affiliated entities. Chess.com reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to prohibit any player from participating in any Competitive Event or to disqualify any individual it finds, in its sole determination, to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of any Competitive Event; to be attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Competitive Event by cheating, hacking, deception, or any other unfair playing practices; to be acting in violation of the Rules; or to be acting in a disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person. Chess.com may suspend or discontinue any Competitive Event if, in its sole opinion, there is any actual or suspected tampering of such Competitive Event, or any other malfunction, event or activity that may affect the integrity of such Competitive Event. Chess.com may, for any reason, and at any time before, during, or after a Competitive Event, remove you and/or any other players from the event. Even if you have been previously invited to a Competitive Event by Chess.com, Chess.com may, at its sole discretion, exclude you from the event without notice. CHESS.COM SHALL NOT BE OBLIGATED TO AWARD ANY PRIZE THAT RELATES TO OR ARISES OUT OF IMPROPER OR MISTAKEN PRIZE NOTIFICATION, OPERATION OR FUNCTION OF ANY COMPETITIVE EVENT. Chess.com shall not be liable to you for any failure to perform any of our obligations under the Competitive Event or any related Prizes should Chess.com be unable to do so as a result of circumstances beyond our reasonable control. We reserve the right, at any time, to amend at our sole discretion these Competitive Events Policy, in which case we will update the “Last Revised“ date at the top of this Competitive Events Policy. Any changes to this Competitive Events Policy will be in effect as of the “Last Revised“ date referred to at the top of this page. When required by applicable law, we will announce any changes to any Competitive Event and your continued participation in that Competitive Event shall be deemed an acceptance of those changes.

Privacy Policy

Any personal information supplied by you to Chess.com will be subject to Chess.com's privacy policy. By entering the Competitive Event, you grant Chess.com permission to share your email address and any other personally identifiable information with any co-sponsor solely for the purpose of administration and prize fulfillment. Chess.com will not sell, rent, transfer, or otherwise disclose your personal data to any third party other than as described above herein or in the privacy policy.

Rules and Winners List

For a copy of a Competitive Event's Official Rules and/or Winners List, visit chess.com or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope for receipt within three months of such Competitive Event's conclusion to: Rules/Winners List, [Name of Competitive Event], c/o Chess.com, 877 E. 1200 S. #970397, Orem, UT 84097.