Terms & Conditions

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using ChessNam, you accept and agree to be bound by the terms and provision of this agreement. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our service.

2. Use of Service

ChessNam provides a platform for:

  • Chess tournament organization and management
  • Player registration and participation
  • Tournament results tracking and rating calculations
  • Chess community interaction

3. User Accounts

When creating an account, you agree to:

  • Provide accurate and complete information
  • Maintain the security of your password
  • Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
  • Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use

4. Tournament Participation

4.1 Registration

  • Tournament registrations are processed through our integrated PayMongo payment system
  • Users can register and pay for multiple players in a single transaction
  • Players can be assigned to different categories with varying entry fees
  • Entry fees are set by tournament organizers and vary by category
  • Fee Structure: Total payment includes entry fee + 7.5% platform fee + 2.5% payment processing fee
  • Payment Method: All payments are processed via GCash through PayMongo
  • Confirmation: Registration is confirmed instantly upon successful payment
  • Prize Distribution: ChessNam is not responsible for distributing prizes or managing prize pools. All prizes and awards are the sole responsibility of tournament organizers
  • Payment Role: ChessNam only processes registration payments and retains platform fees. Entry fees collected are the organizer's responsibility to manage
  • Refund policies are determined by individual tournament organizers and must be clearly stated

4.2 Fair Play

Cheating, unsportsmanlike conduct, or violation of tournament rules may result in disqualification and account suspension.

5. Organizer Responsibilities

Tournament organizers using our platform agree to:

  • Provide accurate tournament information
  • Honor all tournament commitments
  • Distribute prizes as advertised and assume full responsibility for prize fulfillment
  • Clearly state refund policies in tournament descriptions before players register
  • If implementing “no refund” policies, state this explicitly and prominently
  • Honor all stated refund policies consistently and fairly
  • Handle all payment and refund matters directly with participants
  • Manage all collected entry fees and prize pool distribution independently
  • Process refunds according to their stated policies when applicable
  • Maintain accurate records of all tournament transactions and prize distributions
  • Maintain fair play standards
  • Handle disputes professionally
  • Comply with all applicable laws and regulations in their jurisdiction
  • Indemnify ChessNam against any claims related to their tournaments, including prize disputes and refund requests
  • Maintain adequate funds to cover all promised prizes and applicable refunds per stated policies

6. Payment Terms

6.1 Payment Processing

  • ChessNam processes payments through PayMongo, a licensed payment service provider
  • All tournament entry fees are collected via GCash through our secure payment gateway
  • Payments are processed instantly with immediate confirmation
  • ChessNam acts as a payment facilitator between players and tournament organizers
  • All payment data is encrypted and handled according to PCI compliance standards

6.2 Fee Structure

  • Entry Fee: Base tournament fee set by organizers (varies by category)
  • Platform Fee: 7.5% of the entry fee
  • Payment Processing Fee: 2.5% calculated on the subtotal (entry + platform fee)
  • Total Amount: Entry fee + platform fee + payment processing fee
  • Example: ₱250 entry = ₱250 + ₱18.75 (platform) + ₱6.89 (processing) = ₱275.64 total

6.3 Refunds and Disputes

  • Refund requests are processed through our payment system based on organizer policies
  • Platform fees (7.5%) are generally non-refundable except for tournament cancellations or fraud
  • Payment processing fees (2.5%) are non-refundable per PayMongo terms
  • Entry fees may be refunded based on the tournament organizer's stated refund policy
  • Tournament organizers are responsible for honoring their stated refund policies
  • ChessNam can process refunds but organizers must authorize and bear financial responsibility
  • ChessNam does not manage or distribute tournament prize pools

6.4 Multi-Player Registration

  • One user account can register and pay for multiple players
  • Each player can be assigned to different categories with different fees
  • Total payment covers all selected players in a single transaction
  • Category changes are allowed before payment completion
  • Payment processing fees will be determined by the payment service provider and disclosed at checkout
  • All fees will be non-refundable unless required by applicable law

7. Intellectual Property

The ChessNam platform, including its design, features, and content, is owned by ChessNam and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

8. Limitation of Liability

ChessNam provides the platform “as is” and is not responsible for disputes between players and organizers, tournament cancellations, or any indirect damages arising from use of our service.

8.1 Financial Liability

  • ChessNam is not responsible for any financial losses, including but not limited to unpaid prizes, unprocessed refunds, or disputed tournament fees
  • All financial obligations rest solely with tournament organizers
  • ChessNam does not guarantee the financial capacity or reliability of tournament organizers
  • Participants engage with tournament organizers at their own risk

8.2 Platform Limitations

  • ChessNam's liability is limited to the platform service fees actually received
  • We are not liable for any consequential, indirect, or punitive damages
  • Our total liability shall not exceed the amount of fees paid to ChessNam in the preceding 12 months

9. Termination

We reserve the right to terminate or suspend your account at our discretion, without notice, for conduct that we believe violates these Terms or is harmful to other users.

10. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Philippines.

11. Contact Information

For any questions regarding these Terms & Conditions, please contact us through our Facebook page.

11. Dispute Resolution

11.1 Platform Disputes

Disputes regarding platform functionality, account access, or service fees should be directed to ChessNam through our official communication channels.

11.2 Tournament-Related Disputes

  • Prize disputes, refund requests, and tournament-related conflicts must be resolved directly between participants and organizers
  • ChessNam may facilitate communication but does not mediate financial disputes
  • Persistent violators may be suspended from the platform

11.3 Payment Verification Disputes

Disputes regarding payment verification (such as organizers failing to approve valid payment proof) should be reported to ChessNam. We will review the verification records and may take action against organizers who fail to properly verify legitimate payments. However, actual payment disputes must be resolved directly between participants and organizers.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. We will notify users of any material changes via email or platform notification.

Last Updated: 10/5/2025