Terms of Use
Last updated: 20 October 2026
These terms are for checkmates (https://checkmates.me). "We" and "us" means checkmates. Questions: team@checkmates.me.
By using checkmates you agree to these terms and our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use the site. They're short.
1. You must be 18 or over
checkmates is for adults only. By using it you confirm you're 18 or older. If you're not, leave now. If we think someone is under 18, we'll ban them.
2. What checkmates is
A free site that pairs you with a random stranger for a game of chess, over video or voice, with a text chat. It works on desktop only. There are no accounts.
It's provided as it is: it may go down, have bugs or lose a game mid-move. We may change, pause or close it at any time, without notice.
3. Be nice
That's the main rule. You must not:
- show nudity or anything sexual, or ask anyone else to
- harass, bully, insult or threaten anyone
- post or say anything hateful about someone's race, religion, sex, sexuality, disability or anything else they are
- involve anyone under 18 in any way, or let them use your camera or your seat
- share or do anything illegal
- spam, advertise or send people to other sites
- record, screenshot or share someone else's video, voice or chat without their permission
- use a chess engine, another person or any other help to play your moves
- try to break, overload, hack or scrape the site, get round a ban, or pretend to be someone you're not (including us)
4. You're talking to strangers
The people you meet are strangers. We don't check who they are or how old they are, and we don't watch or record your calls. We can't promise anyone will behave, and we're not responsible for what they say or do.
So look after yourself:
- don't share your name, address, phone number, social accounts or anything else that identifies you
- don't move the conversation somewhere else, and never send anyone money
- if someone makes you uncomfortable, press Next and leave
Calls go through a relay, so the other player doesn't see your IP address. They do see and hear whatever your camera and mic pick up, and we can't stop them recording it.
5. Reporting and bans
If someone breaks these rules, press Report. A report saves both players' details and the last few chat lines (see the Privacy Policy), and you'll never be paired with that person again.
Reports can lead to an automatic ban, usually for 24 hours, without a person checking first. We can also ban anyone, by browser or IP address, for as long as we like, for breaking these terms or if we think it keeps people safe. If you think you were banned by mistake, email team@checkmates.me and we'll look at it.
If something involves a child or a real threat to someone's safety, also contact the police. We'll pass information to the police or other authorities where the law requires it or someone's safety is at risk.
6. What you share
What you say, show and type is yours, and you're responsible for it. You let us do only what's needed to run the site: pass your video, voice, chat and moves to the other player, and keep chat lines and results as the Privacy Policy says. A finished game gets a share card (final board and result, no names or video) that either player can share.
7. Our stuff
The checkmates name, logo, design, pieces and sounds are ours. Please don't copy them. Some parts belong to others and are used under their licences (chess.js, the Nunito font, Lichess puzzles, DB-IP, flag-icons).
8. Other services
Calls are relayed by Cloudflare. We may show ads (Google AdSense) in future, and ads may link to other sites. We're not responsible for other companies' sites, ads or services.
9. Our liability
checkmates is free and offered as it is, so we aren't liable for any loss that comes from using it, from not being able to use it, or from what other users say or do. This doesn't affect your legal rights.
If you break these terms and someone makes a claim against us because of it, you're responsible for the costs that causes us.
10. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms; the date at the top shows when. Using checkmates after a change means you accept the new version. For big changes we'll put a notice on the site.
11. Law
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales can hear any dispute. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also use your local courts.