Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you use CheckmateX, we may collect the following types of information:

Account Information

• Email address and display name when you create an account via Google Sign-In
• Profile photo URL provided by your Google account
• Username you choose within the app

Game and Activity Data

• Chess game moves, results, and timestamps
• ELO ratings across Blitz, Rapid, and Classical time controls
• Opening training progress and mastery scores
• Puzzle solve times, accuracy, and streaks
• Achievement unlock history and daily quest progress

Technical and Usage Data

• Device type, operating system, and browser version
• IP address and approximate geographic location (country/region level)
• Pages visited, features used, and session duration
• Crash reports and error logs for debugging

2. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information for the following purposes:

• Provide, operate, and maintain the CheckmateX service
• Display leaderboard rankings, player profiles, and game history
• Track your training progress, achievements, and daily quests
• Match you with opponents of similar skill in online games
• Improve app performance, fix bugs, and develop new features
• Send important service announcements (e.g., maintenance windows)
• Detect and prevent cheating, abuse, and unauthorized access
• Analyze usage patterns to improve the user experience

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

CheckmateX and our third-party partners use cookies and similar tracking technologies:

• Essential cookies: Required for authentication, session management, and core functionality. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Google Analytics (GA4) collects anonymized usage data to help us understand how visitors use our site and identify areas for improvement.
• Advertising cookies: Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to CheckmateX or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to our site and other sites on the Internet.

You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also manage cookie preferences in your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features.

4. Third-Party Services

CheckmateX uses the following third-party services that may collect or process data:

• Google Firebase: Authentication (Google Sign-In), database (Firestore), and crash reporting
• Google Analytics (GA4): Website and app analytics — collects anonymized usage data, page views, and session information
• Google AdSense / AdMob: Advertising services that use cookies to serve relevant ads
• Google Play Services: App distribution, in-app updates, and device-level analytics
• Cloudflare: Content delivery, DDoS protection, and edge caching
• Vercel: Website hosting and edge network delivery

Each third-party service operates under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review their policies to understand how they handle your data.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored securely using Google Firebase (Firestore) hosted in US data centers and Cloudflare's global edge network. We implement industry-standard security measures including encryption in transit (TLS/SSL), secure authentication tokens, and access controls to protect your information. While no system is 100% secure, we take reasonable steps to safeguard your data against unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction.

6. Data Retention

We retain your account data and game history for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, though anonymized aggregate data (e.g., total games played statistics) may be retained for analytical purposes. Crash reports and error logs are automatically deleted after 90 days.

7. Your Rights (GDPR and CCPA)

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
• Right to object: Object to data processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to opt out of sale: We do not sell your personal information

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at rohitvinod.dev@gmail.com with the subject line "Privacy Request." We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children's Privacy

CheckmateX is suitable for all ages. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in the European Economic Area) without verifiable parental consent. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data without parental consent, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete that information.

9. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States where our hosting infrastructure is located. By using CheckmateX, you consent to the transfer of your data to these countries. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this policy.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you via email or an in-app notification. Your continued use of CheckmateX after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us at rohitvinod.dev@gmail.com. You can also visit our Contact page for additional ways to reach us.