AscendChess Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 9, 2026 Operated by: Jacaru Co LLC, doing business as AscendChess ("AscendChess," "we," "us," or "our") Contact: joseph.hungerman@ascendchess.com

AscendChess is currently in beta. This policy describes how we handle your information today. Because the platform is evolving, we may update this policy as features change. Material changes will be communicated as described in the "Changes to this policy" section.

1. Who we are

AscendChess is a chess improvement platform for serious improvers. It analyzes your games, identifies the patterns and weaknesses holding you back, and builds a structured study plan around them. The service is operated by Jacaru Co LLC.

2. Information we collect

Account information. When you sign in, we receive your name and email address through your WilCo Chess Club account, which serves as the single sign-on identity provider for AscendChess. We do not see or store your WilCo password.

Chess and study data. This is the core of the service. It includes games you import or enter (from Lichess, from Chess.com, by uploading PGN files, or by manual entry), your repertoire and opening lines, your study collections and the books you track, your drill and training results, and the diagnostic profiles the platform builds from this activity (your tactical, opening, time-control, and decision profiles).

Usage data. We use first-party analytics to understand how the platform is used. This includes events such as which features you open, when you complete a drill, and when you connect an account. These events are attributed to your account so we can measure your activation and progress and improve the product. We do not use third-party advertising trackers.

Payment information. When paid subscriptions are available, payments are handled by a third-party payment processor. AscendChess does not collect or store your full card number or bank details. We receive only confirmation of payment status and limited billing metadata from the processor.

Communications and feedback. When you submit feedback through the in-app feedback tool or email us, we receive the content of your message, your email address, and basic technical context such as the page you were on and your browser type.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to operate and improve the service: to generate game analysis, coaching, and study recommendations; to build and maintain your diagnostic profile; to provide spaced-repetition scheduling and progress tracking; to process subscriptions when available; to respond to your feedback and support requests; to understand product usage in aggregate; and to keep the platform secure and functioning.

4. How AI processing works

AscendChess uses artificial intelligence to enrich your games and generate coaching. When you import or analyze games or use coaching features, relevant chess data (such as positions, moves, and summaries of your performance patterns) and limited account context are sent to third-party AI providers (currently OpenAI and Anthropic) to generate analysis and written coaching.

We do not send your password, payment details, or full personal profile to these providers. The chess engine analysis itself (Stockfish) runs on our own infrastructure and does not involve a third-party AI provider.

AI-generated coaching is informational and is not guaranteed to be correct. It is a study aid, not professional instruction or a guarantee of improvement.

5. Service providers and sub-processors

We rely on a small set of service providers to operate AscendChess. They process data only as needed to provide their service to us:

• WilCo Chess Club (single sign-on) for account authentication.
• Lichess and Chess.com when you choose to connect those accounts to import your games. These connections use OAuth, and you authorize them yourself.
• OpenAI and Anthropic for AI enrichment and coaching, as described in Section 4.
• Google Cloud Platform (Cloud Run) for chess engine and analysis compute.
• InterServer for server hosting.
• Our payment processor for subscription billing, when available.

Our analytics and telemetry are self-hosted on our own infrastructure rather than provided by a third-party analytics vendor.

6. When your information is shared

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for advertising.

Coaching (Coach Bridge). If you choose to share your profile with a coach, that coach will be able to view the chess and study data you share with them through the platform. This sharing happens only when you initiate it, and it reflects the coaching relationship you have chosen. You control whether to share and, going forward, will be able to manage that sharing.

Legal and safety. We may disclose information if required by law, to respond to lawful requests, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our users or of AscendChess.

Business transfer. If AscendChess is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will note any such change in this policy.

7. Data retention

We keep your account and chess data for as long as your account is active. If you close your account or request deletion, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain certain records (for example, billing records) to comply with legal obligations.

8. Your rights and choices

You can access and update much of your information from within the platform. You may request a copy of your data, request correction, or request deletion of your account and associated personal data by contacting us at joseph.hungerman@ascendchess.com. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under local law, including the rights to access, correct, delete, or port your data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. We will honor these rights as required by applicable law.

You can disconnect a linked Lichess or Chess.com account at any time, which stops further imports from that source.

9. Cookies and local storage

We use cookies and similar browser storage that are necessary for the service to function, such as keeping you signed in and remembering your in-app preferences. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

10. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit and access controls on our systems. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your data and to limit who can access it.

11. Children's privacy

AscendChess is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. Chess is studied by people of all ages, and where a minor uses the platform, the account should be created and supervised by a parent, guardian, or a coach acting with appropriate consent. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us personal information without proper consent, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to address it.

ASCENDCHESS is for people 13 and older.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. We ask for a birth date when you create an account, and we do not create an account for anyone it shows to be under 13; nothing from a refused sign-up is kept.

If we learn that an existing account may belong to someone under 13, we review it. Once we have confirmed the case, we suspend the account, so it can no longer be signed into, and delete it and its personal data within 30 days of the suspension, using the same deletion process described under "What happens when you delete your account". The account cannot be restored. A person reviews every case; nothing is decided automatically. We keep a record that the review took place, with the person's details removed once the account is erased.

A parent or guardian who believes their child under 13 has an account can contact us at support@ascendchess.com.

12. International users

AscendChess is operated from the United States, and your information is processed and stored in the United States and in the regions used by our service providers. If you access the service from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be processed in the United States.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the platform evolves. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date above and, where appropriate, notify you by email or through the platform. Your continued use of the service after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

14. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data can be sent to joseph.hungerman@ascendchess.com.

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This document is a beta draft prepared by the AscendChess team and has not yet been reviewed by legal counsel. It is intended to be reviewed by an attorney as the business scope expands.