Terms of Service

Acceptance of these terms

By using the Chess Game Story website or Chess Game Story Studio, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

The service

Chess Game Story has two parts: a public website where anyone can browse and watch narrated chess videos, and a private Studio that the channel’s administrator uses to analyse games, prepare narration, render videos and publish them to the channel’s YouTube account and to this website.

Using the public website

The public website is free to browse and needs no account. You may watch, read and share links to its pages for personal, non-commercial use. Please do not copy or republish its videos, text or images except as the law allows.

Studio accounts and security

The Studio is available only to an authorised administrator. Studio accounts are not offered to the public. If you hold Studio access, keep your credentials confidential, use a strong password, and tell us promptly if you believe your account has been used without permission.

Content you create or upload

The Studio stores the games, narration, images and videos you create or upload in order to provide the service. You remain responsible for that content and for having the right to use it. You allow us to store, process and display it as needed to produce and publish your videos.

YouTube publishing authorisation

Connecting a YouTube channel is optional and is started only by you, by choosing Connect YouTube in the Studio. Once connected, videos are uploaded and updated only when you choose to publish or update them.

YouTube and Google are governed by their own terms and policies, including the YouTube Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy. You must follow them for anything you publish.

You can disconnect YouTube at any time in the Studio’s Settings, or revoke access at myaccount.google.com/permissions. Disconnecting stops future access; videos already published are not deleted by disconnecting. Our Privacy Policy explains how Google data is used.

Permissions and copyright

The moves of a chess game are facts. Other material is not: photographs, thumbnails, artwork and compiled game collections may be protected by copyright or licences. Upload or publish such material only if you own it or have permission to use it, and record its source where the Studio asks for it.

Prohibited misuse

You agree not to:

• try to access the Studio or any account or data you are not authorised to use;
• interfere with, overload or disrupt the service, or probe it for vulnerabilities without permission;
• scrape or copy the service in bulk, or use it to infringe anyone’s rights;
• use the service for anything unlawful, deceptive or harmful.

Availability and changes to the service

We aim to keep Chess Game Story available, but we do not guarantee that it will always be online or free of errors. We may change, add or remove features, or stop offering the service, at any time.

Third-party services

The service relies on third parties, such as our hosting, database, AI and text-to-speech providers, Lichess for public game broadcasts, and YouTube. Their services are governed by their own terms, and we are not responsible for them.

Intellectual property

The Chess Game Story name, logo, website design, narration and videos belong to Chess Game Story or its licensors. Chess game moves remain facts that anyone may use. Nothing in these terms transfers ownership of our material to you.

Chess analysis and AI-assisted narration

Positions and moves are produced by a deterministic chess library, evaluations come from a chess engine, and narration is written with the help of AI and voiced by text-to-speech. We check this content, but engine evaluations and AI-assisted explanations can still contain mistakes. They are provided for education and entertainment, as is.

Disclaimers

To the extent permitted by law, the service is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

Limitation of liability

To the extent permitted by law, Chess Game Story will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss, or for loss of data, profits or goodwill, arising from your use of the service. Our total liability for any claim relating to the service is limited to the amount you paid us for it, if anything. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

Suspension and termination

We may suspend or end access to the service, including Studio access, if these terms are broken or if it is needed to protect the service or other people. You may stop using the service at any time.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date above. Continuing to use the service after an update means you accept the new terms.

Contact

Questions about these terms: chessboardstory@gmail.com.