Terms of Service

1. Agreement and operator

These Terms govern your access to NX Chess, a chess service operated by Clawlabs Network LLC, 1326 Arbor Drive, Lake, Michigan. By creating an account, claiming a username, making a payment, or using the service, you agree to these Terms and the Privacy, Refund, and Fair Play policies.

2. Eligibility and accounts

You must be at least 13 years old and legally able to enter this agreement. If local law requires parental consent, a parent or guardian must approve your use. You are responsible for accurate account information, protecting login credentials, and activity on your account. One person may not use multiple accounts to evade enforcement.

3. Permanent usernames

A claimed NX Chess username is intended to remain permanently associated with the account that claimed it. Usernames are unique, are not transferable or resellable, and ordinarily cannot be changed, released, or recycled. A payment does not create ownership of a name or trademark. We may reject or restrict names that impersonate others, infringe rights, expose personal data, contain abuse, or create legal or security risk.

4. One-time fee and Stripe

Claiming a permanent username currently costs a one-time US $1.00 fee plus a $0.39 card processing fee ($1.39 total). The optional Founding member tier costs US $10.00 plus a $0.64 processing fee ($10.64 total). The fee is not a wager, entry fee, subscription, or prize contribution. Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. or its affiliates. NX Chess does not receive or store your full card number or card security code; Stripe handles payment credentials under its own terms and privacy practices. Taxes, if legally required, may apply.

5. Fair play, disconnects, and bans

You agree not to abandon games, manipulate ratings or matchmaking, use chess engines or unauthorized assistance during live play, collude, harass, exploit bugs, or disrupt the service. A player who disconnects has a 2-minute grace period to return. Abandonment after that period produces an automated strike. Strikes expire 90 days after they are issued (45 days for accounts in good standing for 12 or more months) and no longer count toward the ladder; at most one strike is counted in any rolling 24-hour period.

• First active strike: 5-minute matchmaking ban.
• Second active strike: 24-hour ban.
• Third active strike: 7-day ban.
• Fourth active strike: permanent ban.
• Re-entry after a permanent ban: a permanently banned account may purchase a one-time re-entry. Fees escalate with each permanent ban on the account: US $1.00 (+ $0.39 processing fee), $5.00 (+ $0.46), $20.00 (+ $0.91), $50.00 (+ $1.81), then $100.00 (+ $3.30). Re-entry restores matchmaking under the same username with ratings intact, resets the sportsmanship score to 100, and restarts the strike ladder; the account’s private record of prior bans and re-entries is retained. After the fifth re-entry, a sixth permanent ban is final and no further re-entry is offered.
• A normal resignation is allowed and does not create an abandonment strike. Timeouts, completed games, agreed draws, and automatic draws are recorded under the Fair Play policy.

6. Enforcement and appeals

We may investigate conduct, correct obvious technical errors, remove content, restrict matchmaking, suspend accounts, or permanently terminate access to protect players and the service. Automated records may be used to enforce disconnect and rating rules. Bans of 7 days or longer, including permanent bans, may be appealed once per ban through Support while signed in to the banned account. Appeals are reviewed by a person; a granted appeal removes the triggering strike and lifts the ban, while a denied appeal changes nothing. Bans shorter than 7 days are automatic and are not subject to appeal. Filing an appeal does not automatically pause a restriction. Ban evasion may result in additional restrictions.

7. Service availability and chess results

NX Chess is provided on an as-available basis. Internet interruptions, maintenance, software errors, clock latency, or third-party outages may affect a game. Server-authoritative records control official moves, clocks, results, ratings, and enforcement. We may correct a result or rating when reliable evidence shows a technical or integrity error.

8. Intellectual property and feedback

The NX Chess service, branding, interface, and original software or content are owned by Clawlabs Network LLC or applicable licensors, subject to any separately published open-source licenses. Chess rules and user game records are not claimed as exclusive property. You grant us permission to host and display information you submit as needed to operate the service. Feedback may be used without compensation or obligation.

9. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the service is provided without warranties of uninterrupted operation, fitness for a particular purpose, or error-free results. Clawlabs Network LLC will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, lost data, lost reputation, or lost profits arising from use of the service. To the fullest extent permitted by law, total liability for a claim will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid NX Chess during the prior 12 months or US $10. These limits do not exclude liability that cannot legally be limited.

10. Governing law and changes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute not subject to mandatory local consumer protections must be brought in a state or federal court located in or serving Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and the parties consent to that venue. If a provision is unenforceable, the remainder stays effective. We may update these Terms prospectively by posting a revised date; material changes may also be announced in the service. Continued use after an update means acceptance.

11. Contact

Questions, legal notices, ban appeals, and account concerns may be submitted through the NX Chess Support page or emailed to support@norage-quitting-chess.com. General inquiries may be sent to hello@norage-quitting-chess.com. Mail may be sent to Clawlabs Network LLC, 1326 Arbor Drive, Lake, MI.