Acceptable Use Policy

Introduction

This Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) outlines the rules and guidelines for using ChessRoster’s website and services or any other services offered by ChessRoster, LLC. This policy applies to all users of ChessRoster, whether human, machine, or artificial intelligence (AI), although note that automated and AI access is prohibited except where explicitly authorized. Compliance with this policy is required to maintain access to our services, including our payment processing capabilities through PayPal and other providers.

Who Must Follow This Policy

• Tournament organizers
• Registered players
• Parents/guardians managing accounts for minors
• Visitors to the website
• Anyone accessing or using ChessRoster services

Prohibited Activities

Payment and Financial

• Providing false or inaccurate payment information
• Engaging in fraudulent transactions or chargebacks
• Using payment systems for money laundering
• Operating pyramid schemes or other deceptive financial practices
• Making unauthorized payment collections
• Processing payments on behalf of third parties

Tournament and Competition

• Manipulating tournament results or ratings
• Providing false player information
• Misrepresenting affiliations
• Operating unauthorized gambling or betting activities
• Creating fake tournaments or registrations
• Using ChessRoster to host or promote illegal activities

Content and Behavior

• Posting false, misleading, or fraudulent information
• Harassing, discriminating, or bullying other users
• Using hate speech or inappropriate language
• Impersonating others or organizations
• Posting spam or unauthorized promotional content
• Sharing content that promotes illegal activities
• Violating intellectual property rights, including:
  • Unauthorized use of trademarks
  • Infringement of copyrighted materials
  • Misuse of chess federation logos or credentials
  • Theft of intellectual property

Technical and Security

• Attempting unauthorized system access
• Interfering with website functionality
• Uploading malicious code
• Circumventing security measures
• Unauthorized scraping or data collection
• Creating multiple accounts for deceptive purposes
• Using unauthorized AI or automated tools
• Deploying systems that exceed rate limits
• Using automated tools to access services without permission
• Creating derivative databases from site content
• Using VPNs or proxies to circumvent restrictions
• Attempting to reverse engineer site functionality

Tournament Organizer Requirements

Tournament organizers must:

1. Provide accurate identification and business information
2. Maintain proper financial records
3. Follow transparent pricing practices
4. Comply with payment processor requirements
5. Protect participant data
6. Provide clear refund policies if not using the ChessRoster Standard Refund Policy
7. Honor the refund policy which was listed on ChessRoster at the time of a purchase

Payment Processing

To comply with payment processor requirements:

1. All financial transactions must be for legitimate chess tournaments, services, or products
2. Accurate transaction descriptions must be provided
3. Clear refund and cancellation policies must be posted
4. Proper documentation must be maintained
5. Disputes must be handled promptly and professionally
6. Merchants must:
   • Maintain accurate business and tax information
   • Process refunds through the platform only
   • Respond to disputes within PayPal’s required timeframes
   • Keep sufficient funds to cover potential refunds
   • Not create multiple PayPal accounts
7. Prohibited payment activities include:
   • Processing transactions for other merchants
   • Operating as an unlicensed payment processor
   • Creating transactions to test card validity
   • Processing transactions for restricted items
8. Transaction requirements:
   • All payments must be denominated in US dollars
   • Accurate item descriptions must match the tournament details
   • Organizers are responsible for any tax or compliance implications of accepting payments through ChessRoster
   • Compliance with PayPal’s Acceptable Use Policy 

Merchant Verification

Tournament organizers must complete PayPal’s verification process and must maintain valid contact information on file with ChessRoster while using our services and for at least 6 months after the last transaction in case of disputes.

AI and Automated Access

The use of artificial intelligence systems, bots, scrapers, automated tools, or any other automated means to access or interact with ChessRoster services is strictly prohibited. This includes but is not limited to:

• Web scraping or data collection
• Automated account creation or management
• Bot-driven site navigation
• Automated tournament registration
• AI-powered analysis tools
• Browser automation tools

Enforcement

We reserve the right to:

• Remove content or tournaments
• Suspend or terminate accounts (including AI-operated accounts)
• Report violations to authorities
• Take legal action
• Refuse service to anyone (human or AI) violating this policy

Reporting Violations

If you need to report a violation, please visit our Support Page and submit the necessary details.

For urgent matters related to payments or potential fraud, we strongly recommend contacting your payment provider directly in addition to reporting the issue to us.

Reporting Seller Misconduct

If you encounter tournament organizers or sellers who:

• Infringe on intellectual property rights
• Misuse copyrighted materials
• Engage in fraudulent activities
• Violate chess federation regulations

Please report them through our Support Page with:

1. The organizer’s username or profile link
2. Description of the violation
3. Any supporting evidence
4. Date and time of the incident

We take all violation reports seriously and ensure a prompt investigation. For issues involving PayPal policy breaches, we also recommend reporting them directly to PayPal .

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy periodically. Users will be notified of significant changes.

Last Updated: July 30, 2025