Terms of Service & Fair Play

1. Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to Cat Chess! By accessing or using our websites at cat-chess.com and our web-based gaming application at play.cat-chess.com (collectively, the "Services"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms") and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not access or use the Services.

2. Description of Service & Free-to-Play Access

Cat Chess provides an interactive tactical chess game featuring story campaign biomes, artificial intelligence opponents, daily puzzles, and real-time multiplayer matchmaking. The core game is provided free of charge directly in modern web browsers without requiring software installation or subscription fees.

3. Fair Play Policy & Anti-Cheating Rules

We are dedicated to maintaining a clean, competitive, and enjoyable environment for chess lovers and casual players alike. By participating in multiplayer or ranked matches, you strictly agree to the following Fair Play rules:

• No External Engine Assistance: You must not use third-party chess engines (e.g. Stockfish, Leela Chess Zero, Komodo), bots, browser extensions, or automated calculation tools during live multiplayer matches.
• No Multiple Accounts or Sandbagging: Intentionally losing games to manipulate ELO ratings ("sandbagging") or creating secondary accounts to exploit rating brackets is strictly prohibited.
• No Exploits or Bug Abuse: Exploiting software bugs, network latency glitches, or unintended game mechanics to gain an unfair tactical advantage is prohibited. Players are encouraged to report discovered glitches to info@myquests.org.
• No Collusion: Arranging match outcomes with opponents or coordinating moves in competitive ladders will result in immediate rating forfeiture.

4. User Conduct & Community Guidelines

When interacting with other players, utilizing custom room codes, or communicating on Cat Chess platforms, you agree to treat all members with respect and courtesy. You agree not to:

• Harass, threaten, demean, impersonate, or intimidate other players or developers.
• Use offensive, vulgar, hateful, or discriminatory language in usernames, chat, or custom room descriptions.
• Attempt to disrupt, reverse-engineer, overload, or attack our game servers or infrastructure.

5. Intellectual Property Rights

All content, graphics, feline character artwork, biome illustrations, visual effects, sound design, animations, source code, game mechanics, and trademarks associated with Cat Chess are the exclusive intellectual property of the Cat Chess Project and its creators, protected under international copyright and trademark laws.

You are granted a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to access and play the game for your own personal, non-commercial entertainment. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of our Services or included software without prior written consent.

6. Virtual Items, In-App Purchases, Cosmetics & Battle Pass

Cat Chess provides players with the ability to unlock or purchase purely cosmetic items, including alternative chess board themes, feline piece skins, avatar frames, titles, victory animations, and seasonal Battle Passes ("Virtual Items"):

• Zero Pay-to-Win: All acquirable content is strictly cosmetic and has zero impact on FIDE-compliant chess rules, move mechanics, or objective ELO rating calculations.
• License Rights: When acquiring digital content, Cat Chess grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to use the content for personal, non-commercial entertainment within the game. Resale, transfer, or trading for real-world currency is strictly prohibited.
• Pricing & Taxes: All shop prices are displayed as final gross prices including applicable statutory Value-Added Tax (VAT / MwSt.).
• Modifications to Digital Products (§ 327r German Civil Code / EU Directive 2019/770): We reserve the right to modify or update cosmetic content for valid operational reasons (game balance, bug fixing, compatibility updates, or IT security) at no additional cost to you.
• Statutory Warranty: Statutory consumer warranty rights under EU digital content directives and §§ 327 ff. BGB remain fully unaffected.

7. EU Consumer Right of Withdrawal & Premature Expiration

Right of Withdrawal

If you are a consumer residing in the European Union or United Kingdom, you have the statutory right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason. The withdrawal period will expire 14 days from the day of the conclusion of the contract.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, you must inform us (MyQuests Online Marketing, Owner: Olivier Jacob, Holsteiner Chaussee 193, 22457 Hamburg, Germany, Email: info@myquests.org, Phone: +49 (0)176 2481 8231) of your decision to withdraw from this contract by an unequivocal statement (e.g. a letter sent by post or an email). You may use the attached model withdrawal form, but it is not obligatory.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of Withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we shall reimburse to you all payments received from you without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract. We will carry out such reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

Premature Expiration of the Right of Withdrawal (§ 356 (5) BGB / Art. 16(m) Directive 2011/83/EU)

The right of withdrawal expires prematurely for contracts concerning the supply of digital content not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. digital piece skins, board themes, Shard packs, Battle Pass unlocks) if:

1. You have given your express prior consent to begin the performance of the contract before the expiration of the 14-day withdrawal period,
2. You have acknowledged that by giving your consent, you lose your right of withdrawal once performance has begun, and
3. The trader has provided you with confirmation of the concluded contract on a durable medium (e.g. via email confirmation receipt).

Model Withdrawal Form

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE GAME WILL ALWAYS BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE CAT CHESS PROJECT AND ITS OPERATORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR DATA ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES.

10. Modifications to the Terms & Services

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in game features, legal requirements, or operational needs. Any revised Terms will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" timestamp. Your continued use of the Services following any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

11. Governing Law, Jurisdiction & Contact

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. The exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from or in connection with these Terms shall be Hamburg, Germany, to the extent permitted by law.

If you have questions, feedback, or fair play inquiries regarding these Terms, please contact our support team at:

Cat Chess / MyQuests Online Marketing:
Email: info@myquests.org
Phone / WhatsApp: +49 (0)176 2481 8231