Effective Date: 07 November 2026
Last Updated: 07 November 2026
Developer / Publisher: Digital Leads
Contact Email: Faisal21063@gmail.com
A. Introduction and Overview
Welcome to Chess Master Arena ("the App", "we", "us", or "our"), a mobile chess application developed for Android devices (Package Name: com.aistudio.chessmaster.qzkxpl). We are committed to protecting your personal privacy and providing transparent information about how your data is collected, used, stored, and shared when you play chess, solve daily tactics puzzles, play with friends online, or create an account.
This Privacy Policy explains the specific data practices of Chess Master Arena in accordance with applicable data privacy laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the CPRA, and the Google Play Developer Program Policies.
B. Information We Collect and Process
We collect and process data to provide offline gameplay, online friend matchmaking, puzzle progress synchronization, cloud backups, and advertising. The categories of information processed are:
1. Account Credentials & Identifiers. When you register an account using email and password, we collect your email address and an encrypted password hash managed securely by Firebase Authentication. If you sign in with Google, we receive your authenticated Google account identifier, email address, and basic profile name from Google Identity Services.
2. Public Profile Information. You may choose an in-game display name, chess title (e.g. Challenger, Candidate Master, Grandmaster), and a chess avatar (e.g. Knight, Queen, King). This is stored in our public user profile database and is visible to other players in friend matches and leaderboards.
3. Private Account Subcollection. To prevent unauthorized access to sensitive personal information, our cloud database maintains a strict zero-trust separation: your email address, verification status, and linked authentication providers are stored exclusively in a private subcollection that other users cannot read.
4. Chess Gameplay & Match History. When you complete a match, we record the game mode (e.g. Play vs Computer, Pass & Play, Play with Friends), difficulty, time control, player color, winner side, termination status (Checkmate, Resignation, Timeout, Stalemate), duration, total move count, final board FEN string, and UCI move notation.
5. Player Statistics, Ratings & Achievements. We maintain your daily tactics streak, number of puzzles solved, date of last puzzle solved, completed challenge identifiers, and competitive Elo ratings across Rapid, Blitz, and Bullet time controls.
6. Multiplayer Room Data. When playing online with a friend, the host generates a random 6-character room code. The room record temporarily tracks room status (WAITING, ACTIVE, FINISHED, CANCELLED), current FEN board state, side to move, move clock timestamps, player heartbeats, and disconnection grace period timers (up to 5 minutes).
7. Local Preferences & Cache. Your preferences (board theme, piece style, sound effects volume, haptic feedback toggle, show legal move hints, auto-queen promotion, animation speed) are stored locally on your device using Android Jetpack DataStore and Room SQLite. These preferences do not leave your device unless you sign in to sync your profile.
8. Advertising Identifiers & Telemetry. We display advertisements using Google AdMob. Google AdMob and Google Play Services automatically process device identifiers (such as the Google Advertising ID / GAID), IP address, network carrier, general geographic location (country/city level derived from IP), and ad interaction telemetry to serve banner and interstitial advertisements, prevent ad fraud, and monitor performance.
9. Data We Do NOT Collect. We do NOT collect real-time precise GPS location, contacts, address book data, camera feeds, microphone audio recordings, biometric data, financial information, credit card numbers, or physical device storage contents.
C. Purposes of Data Processing
We process the collected data exclusively for specific, legitimate purposes:
- Account Authentication & Security: To verify your identity, maintain persistent login sessions, allow seamless password resets, and verify email ownership.
- Cross-Device Synchronization: To sync your Elo ratings, game history, unlocked achievements, and daily tactics streaks across multiple Android devices.
- Online Multiplayer Gameplay: To enable private 2-player friend matches using room codes, manage clocks, validate legal moves, detect disconnections, and update competitive ratings.
- Advertising & Monetization: To deliver contextual and personalized advertisements in compliance with user consent choices, prevent repetitive ads, and detect invalid traffic.
- Abuse Prevention & Fair Play: To protect the integrity of the game, enforce our Terms of Service, prevent engine-assisted cheating or abusive behaviors, and safeguard our backend.
D. Third-Party Service Providers and Data Sharing
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We partner with reputable cloud infrastructure and advertising service providers who process data strictly under our instructions and in accordance with their privacy policies:
| Google Firebase Authentication | User authentication, password management, Google Sign-In verification, session tokens. Data: email, encrypted password hashes, Google user ID, session tokens, IP address. |
| Google Cloud Firestore | Scalable NoSQL cloud database for public profiles, private account records, multiplayer rooms. Data: user ID, username, ratings, game history, room codes, move notation, timestamps. |
| Google Mobile Ads (AdMob) | Ad network serving banner and interstitial ads. Data: Google Advertising ID (GAID), IP address, app interaction telemetry, device model, OS version. |
| Google UMP (User Messaging Platform) | Consent management gathering GDPR/CCPA choices. Data: consent status strings, TC string (IAB TCF v2.2), geographic region indicator. |
| Firebase App Check (Play Integrity) | Attestation verifying that backend requests originate from our genuine app binary. Data: Play Integrity attestation tokens, device software validity signals. |
| Firebase Cloud Functions | Authoritative serverless execution for move verification and rating calculations. Data: caller UID, room code, move notation, match results. |
Each provider has its own privacy policy available in the app's About screen and at their public documentation URLs.
E. Advertising and Consent Management
Chess Master Arena is supported by advertising delivered via Google AdMob. To respect your privacy rights, we have integrated the official Google User Messaging Platform (UMP) SDK:
- Consent Presentation: Before requesting or displaying ads in the EEA, UK, Switzerland, and California, the app presents a standardized consent dialog explaining the use of cookies, mobile identifiers, and personalized advertising.
- Personalized vs. Non-Personalized Ads: If you grant consent, AdMob serves personalized ads based on your interests and past online behavior. If you decline, AdMob serves contextual ads based on the app context without profiling your interests.
- Revocation of Consent: You can review or change your advertising consent choices at any time from within the app by opening Settings → Privacy & Consent → Manage Privacy Options. You may also reset your Advertising ID in your Android device settings under Google → Ads.
F. Data Storage, Retention, and International Transfers
Local game data (saved offline board states, tactical puzzle progress, and custom preferences) is stored locally on your device in private application storage directories.
Cloud data is hosted by Google Firebase servers located primarily in the United States and global Google Cloud regions. Google utilizes Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and adherence to the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework to ensure legally adequate safeguards for cross-border data transfers.
G. Data Security Measures
- Encryption in Transit: All network communications between the app, Firebase servers, and AdMob networks are encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3 / HTTPS).
- Architectural Data Isolation: PII is separated into owner-only subcollections protected by zero-trust Firestore security rules, preventing public scraping or unauthorized reads.
- Application Hardening: Release binaries are obfuscated and code-shrunk using R8/ProGuard to protect communication endpoints and internal business logic.
- Backup Protection: Our backup_rules.xml configuration excludes unencrypted local Room databases and DataStore preference files from being backed up to third-party cloud backups.
Please note: no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
H. Data Retention and Account Deletion
We retain your account information for as long as your account remains active. If you delete your account, we delete your personal credentials, email address, profile records, and individual match history from our active databases.
To request deletion, see the Account Deletion page.
I. Your Privacy Rights and Choices
Depending on your geographic location, you may have the following rights:
- Right to Access / Portability: Request access to the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification: Edit your display name, chess title, and avatar at any time in the Profile screen.
- Right to Erasure (Deletion): Request permanent deletion of your account and associated personal data.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for personalized advertising at any time in Settings → Manage Privacy Options.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [INSERT PRIVACY EMAIL]. We respond to all verified requests within 30 calendar days.
J. Children's Privacy (Under 13)
Chess Master Arena is designed and marketed for general audiences aged 13 and older (or the minimum age required in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has registered an account or provided personal information, please contact us immediately at Faisal21063@gmail.com, and we will promptly purge the data.
K. Policy Updates and Contact Information
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our legal obligations or application features. Material changes will be indicated by revising the "Last Updated" date at the top. Continued use of the App following any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
Privacy Inquiries & Data Protection Officer Contact:
- Developer / Company: Digital Leads
- Attn: Privacy Compliance Officer
- Email: Faisal21063@gmail.com
- Physical Address: Lahore, Pakistan