Chess Wiz
Privacy Policy
Chess Wiz is an iPhone app for learning chess openings. It is made and published by John Christman, an individual developer based in San Diego, California, USA (“I”, “me”). This policy explains what information Chess Wiz collects, why, who helps process it, how long it is kept and how you can delete it.
The short version
- You can learn openings without an account. That progress stays on your iPhone.
- If you create an account, your email address, name (if you give one), sign-in method, learning progress, puzzle results and coach games are stored so they sync and survive a reinstall.
- There are no ads, no tracking, no analytics or crash-reporting SDKs, and no data is sold or shared for advertising.
- Your data is not sent to any third-party AI service. The coaches use Stockfish, a chess engine that runs on Chess Wiz’s own server.
- You can delete your account and its data at any time in the app: Profile › Settings › Delete account.
1. Using Chess Wiz without an account
Without an account, your learning progress, streak and settings are saved only in the app’s storage on your device. When the app starts it may download the latest opening library from Chess Wiz’s server; that request carries no account information, though, like any internet connection, it reveals your IP address to the server.
2. Information collected when you have an account
Account and sign-in
- Email address. If you sign in with Apple and choose “Hide My Email”, this is a private relay address from Apple.
- Password, if you sign up with email. It is handled by our authentication provider and stored only in hashed form; I cannot see it.
- Name, if you enter one when signing up, or if Apple or Google shares it when you sign in.
- Profile photo link, if you sign in with Google and your Google account has a photo. Chess Wiz stores the link Google provides, not a copy of the photo.
- Sign-in method and account identifiers: whether you use email, Apple or Google, the ID of your Chess Wiz account, and the account ID Apple or Google provides for sign-in.
- Plan: whether your account is on the free plan or Pro, where that access came from, and when it was granted or expires.
Learning progress
- For each opening line: which moves you have learned, your review schedule and mastery.
- XP, level, practice streak, the days you practised, lessons completed, number of attempts and correct answers, training time, the opening you were last studying and when you first practised.
- Your chosen piece style.
Puzzles and tactics
- For each daily puzzle or tactics position you open: whether you solved it, how many tries you took, and when you solved it.
- Puzzles and tactics positions are bundled with the app. Solving one sends nothing anywhere; the record above is saved to your account so it follows you to another device.
Games against the coaches
- For each game: the coach, your colour, the starting position, the opening line you started from (if any), the moves, hints used, the result, the engine’s review of the game, and start and finish times.
- While you play, the current position and moves are sent with your sign-in token to Chess Wiz’s engine server to calculate the coach’s move, a hint or a review. The engine server does not save positions or games; the game record above is saved to your account by the app.
Chess Wiz Pro subscriptions
- Pro is sold by Apple through the App Store. Apple takes the payment; Chess Wiz never sees your card or billing details.
- To unlock Pro on your account, the app sends Apple’s signed record of the purchase to Chess Wiz’s server, and Apple notifies the server when the subscription renews, ends or is refunded. The server keeps: which plan you bought, Apple’s transaction identifiers, whether it was a test or live purchase, when it expires, and whether Apple refunded it. This is linked to your account and deleted with it.
Technical information
- When the app connects to Chess Wiz’s servers, the hosting providers receive your IP address and standard request information (such as the app and iOS version in request headers), and keep request logs for a limited period for security and operations.
- The engine server’s own logs record which endpoint was called, the response status and how long it took. They do not record your moves or your account.
If you contact me
If you email support, I receive your email address and whatever you include in the message.
3. What Chess Wiz does not do
- No advertising and no tracking across other companies’ apps or websites.
- No analytics or crash-reporting SDKs in the app. If you choose to share analytics with app developers in your iPhone’s settings, Apple may give me crash reports and aggregated statistics under Apple’s own privacy policy.
- No selling or sharing of personal information for advertising.
- No third-party AI services receive your information.
- No access to your contacts, photos, location, camera, microphone or health data.
- No marketing emails. Chess Wiz only sends account emails, such as confirming your address or resetting your password.
4. How the information is used
- To create and secure your account and sign you in.
- To save and sync your progress, puzzle results and coach games across your devices.
- To run the coaches, hints and game reviews.
- To decide which openings and coaches your plan includes.
- To send account emails you request or need (confirmation, password reset).
- To keep the service working and protect it from abuse, for example by limiting how many engine requests one account can make per minute.
- To answer your support requests.
If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the legal bases for this are performing our agreement with you (providing the app and your account) and legitimate interests in keeping the service secure and working.
5. Service providers
These companies process information on Chess Wiz’s behalf to run the service, under their own terms and privacy commitments:
| Provider | What it does for Chess Wiz | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Accounts and sign-in, the database for your progress and games, account deletion, and account emails | United States (AWS, Oregon) |
| Fly.io | Hosts the Stockfish engine server used by the coaches | United States |
| Apple | Sign in with Apple, App Store distribution, and payment for Chess Wiz Pro subscriptions | — |
| Sign in with Google, if you choose it | — | |
| GitHub | Hosts these web pages | — |
I may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect the rights and safety of Chess Wiz’s users.
6. Where information is stored
Account data is stored in the United States. If you use Chess Wiz from another country, your information is transferred to and processed in the United States.
7. How long information is kept
- Account data, progress and coach games: for as long as your account exists. When you delete your account they are deleted from Chess Wiz’s database straight away.
- Data on your device: until you sign out, delete your account or delete the app. Signing out clears account data from the device.
- Logs and backups: the hosting providers keep request logs and routine backups for limited periods under their own retention schedules. Deleted data can remain in them until they expire.
- Support emails: only as long as needed to help you. Ask and I will delete them.
8. Deleting your account
In the app, go to Profile › Settings › Delete account. This permanently deletes your account, sign-in details, name, profile photo link, learning progress, XP and streak, coach games and reviews, puzzle results, and your plan and App Store purchase records, and clears them from your device. If you signed in with Apple, Chess Wiz also asks Apple to revoke the app’s access to your Apple Account.
Deleting your account does not cancel a subscription bought through Apple. Manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple Account settings.
If you can no longer open the app, email jjxman96@gmail.com from the address on your account and I will delete it for you.
9. Your choices and rights
- You can use Chess Wiz without an account.
- Signing up with a name is optional, and with Apple you can hide your email address.
- You can ask for a copy of your data, ask me to correct it, or ask me to delete it by emailing jjxman96@gmail.com. I will reply as soon as I can and within any time limit the law sets.
- Depending on where you live, you may have further rights, such as objecting to or restricting some processing, or complaining to your data protection authority.
California residents: Chess Wiz does not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. Because Chess Wiz does not track you across other sites or apps, it does not respond differently to “Do Not Track” signals.
10. Children
You must be at least 13 to create a Chess Wiz account. Chess Wiz is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, email me and I will delete it.
11. Security
Connections to Chess Wiz’s servers use HTTPS. The database only lets each account read and change its own records. Your sign-in session is stored in the iOS Keychain on your device. No system is perfectly secure, but these measures are designed to protect your information.
12. Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the new version will be posted on this page with a new effective date. For significant changes, I will also give notice in the app or by email where appropriate.
13. Contact
John Christman
San Diego, California, USA
jjxman96@gmail.com