Terms of Use

Effective October 23, 2026

These terms apply to your use of Chess Wiz, an iPhone app for learning chess openings, and to Chess Wiz accounts. Chess Wiz is made and published by John Christman, an individual developer based in San Diego, California, USA (“I”, “me”). By using Chess Wiz or creating an account, you agree to these terms and to the Privacy Policy.

Your licence to install and use the app itself comes from Apple’s Licensed Application End User License Agreement (the “Standard EULA”). These terms add the rules for accounts and the online service. If the two conflict about the licence to the app, the Standard EULA applies.

1. Who can use Chess Wiz

You must be at least 13 years old to create a Chess Wiz account. You can use the app without an account.

2. Your account

• Give accurate information when you sign up and keep your sign-in details secure.
• An account is for one person. Don’t share it or use someone else’s.
• You are responsible for what happens under your account. If you think someone else has accessed it, change your password and email jjxman96@gmail.com.
• You can delete your account at any time in the app: Profile › Settings › Delete account.

3. Acceptable use

When using Chess Wiz, don’t:

• use the coaches, hints or game reviews to get help during a game you are playing on another service, in a tournament, or anywhere outside assistance is not allowed;
• access Chess Wiz’s servers other than through the app, including scraping, automated requests or using the engine server as a general-purpose chess engine;
• try to get around plan limits, rate limits or security measures, or access other people’s accounts or data;
• interfere with or overload the service, or introduce malware;
• copy, resell or redistribute Chess Wiz’s lessons, explanations or artwork, except as the law or an open-source licence allows;
• use Chess Wiz in a way that breaks the law.

4. Levels, ratings and chess content

• Levels are app levels. Level names such as “Pawn Recruit” or “Grandmaster” measure XP earned in Chess Wiz. They are not chess titles, and they are not awarded or recognised by FIDE, any national chess federation or any other organisation.
• Coach ratings are estimates. The rating range shown for each coach (for example 500–1000) describes the kind of player that coach is designed for. It is Chess Wiz’s own estimate, not an official or measured rating, and it is not comparable to FIDE, national federation or online-site ratings.
• Scores are estimates too. Accuracy percentages, evaluations and move judgements come from a chess engine and Chess Wiz’s own formulas. Mastery, streaks and XP are ways of tracking practice in Chess Wiz.
• Lessons are for learning. Opening lines and explanations are prepared carefully, but they may contain mistakes and chess theory changes over time.

5. Intellectual property

Chess Wiz’s software, design, lesson text and explanations, coach characters and portraits, and other original content belong to John Christman or are used with permission. Chess moves, positions and opening names are not owned by anyone, and nothing in these terms limits your freedom to study or play them.

Some parts of Chess Wiz are open-source or openly licensed work by others, such as some of the piece sets. Those parts are provided under their own licences, which are listed in the app under Settings › Open-source licenses. The coaches use Stockfish, which runs on Chess Wiz’s server under the GNU General Public License v3 and is not part of the app.

If you send feedback or suggestions, I may use them without owing you anything.

6. Pro access and purchases

• Some openings and coaches are labelled Pro. What the free plan includes may change.
• Chess Wiz Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, yearly or monthly, sold and billed by Apple through the App Store under Apple’s terms. The price, the length and any free trial are shown before you buy. If you start a free trial, the subscription begins and you are charged when the trial ends unless you cancel at least 24 hours before.
• A subscription unlocks Pro on the Chess Wiz account that was signed in when it was bought. It cannot be moved to, or shared with, another Chess Wiz account.
• App Store subscriptions renew automatically unless you turn off auto-renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel them in your Apple Account settings. Refund requests are handled by Apple.
• Deleting your Chess Wiz account does not cancel a subscription. Cancel it with Apple first.

7. The service

Features that need the internet, such as sync and the coaches, depend on Chess Wiz’s servers and service providers and may sometimes be unavailable. I may change, add or remove features, including ending the online service. If I end the online service, I will try to give reasonable notice in the app or on this site.

8. Ending your use

You can stop using Chess Wiz and delete your account at any time. I may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms, puts other users or the service at risk, or where the law requires it. When an account is closed, the right to use its online features ends, and its data is deleted as described in the Privacy Policy. Sections 4, 5, 9, 10 and 11 continue to apply.

9. Disclaimer

To the extent the law allows, Chess Wiz is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. I don’t promise that Chess Wiz will be error-free or uninterrupted, or that it will improve your results. Some places do not allow these exclusions, so they may not all apply to you.

10. Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows, I am not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost data, profits or opportunities, arising from your use of Chess Wiz. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, or your rights as a consumer under the laws of the place where you live.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Disputes will be heard in the state or federal courts located in San Diego County, California. If you live outside the United States, you also keep the protection of any mandatory consumer laws of your country and may bring claims in its courts where those laws allow.

12. Changes to these terms

If these terms change, 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. If you keep using Chess Wiz after the changes take effect, the new terms apply; if you don’t agree, stop using Chess Wiz and delete your account.

13. Contact

John Christman
San Diego, California, USA
jjxman96@gmail.com