Privacy Policy

TobyChess has no user accounts, no sign-up form, no password, and no email capture anywhere on the site. We do not run any first-party analytics or tracking scripts, and we do not set any tracking cookies of our own. Playing a game of chess or solving the daily puzzle does not require you to identify yourself in any way.

The only data our own servers ever see is transient and functional: the moves exchanged between two players in a live game (relayed over a WebSocket connection so your opponent's move appears on your board), and anonymous, aggregate counters for the daily puzzle's community score distribution (e.g. how many people today finished "Perfect" vs. used a hint) — these counters are not tied to your identity in any way and cannot be traced back to an individual visitor.

Instead of a server-side account, TobyChess stores a small amount of data directly in your own browser using the standard localStorage and sessionStorage browser APIs. This data never leaves your device except where explicitly noted below, is never sold, and is not readable by any other website. Specifically, we store:

• Daily puzzle progress and streak state — whether today's puzzle has been solved, given up on, or failed, along with your attempt history (correct moves, wrong guesses, and hints used), so the puzzle stays solved if you revisit the page or close your browser tab.
• A one-time "already reported" flag per daily puzzle, used only to prevent your browser from being counted twice in the anonymous community score distribution described above.
• Sound preferences — whether move/capture sound effects are muted and at what volume, so your preference persists between visits.
• A random, anonymous session identifier (stored in sessionStorage, cleared automatically when you close the tab) used only to reconnect you to your own in-progress multiplayer game if your connection briefly drops. It contains no personal information and is discarded at the end of your browsing session.

You can clear any of this data at any time by clearing your browser's site data for tobychess.org, or by using the "Reset" controls available within the app itself.

TobyChess is supported by advertising served through Google AdSense. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies (including the DoubleClick DART cookie) to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other websites across the internet. This allows Google and its advertising partners to show you ads that may be more relevant to your interests.

We do not control the content of these cookies or how Google uses the data they collect. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings page, and you can learn more about how Google uses data from sites that use its services at Google's Partner Sites policy. Third-party vendors, including Google, may also use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to tobychess.org.

If you are in a jurisdiction covered by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you may be shown a consent management prompt by our advertising partners before any non-essential cookies are set, in line with Google's EU user consent policy.

Beyond Google AdSense, TobyChess does not embed third-party trackers, social media widgets, or marketing pixels. Our real-time multiplayer relies on a WebSocket connection to our own server solely to synchronize moves between the two players in a game; that connection is not used for tracking and is closed when you leave the page.

TobyChess is a general-audience puzzle and chess platform and does not knowingly collect any personal information from anyone, including children under 13. Because we do not operate accounts or collect personal data, there is no personal information to request the deletion of. If you believe a child has been shown inappropriate advertising content, please contact us using the details below so we can investigate with our advertising partner.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the site, in applicable law, or in our advertising partners' requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date above. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how TobyChess handles data, you can reach us at [email protected]. See also our Terms of Service.