Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to TopChess100 ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how we collect, use, and protect your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we handle your information when you visit our website at topchess100.com and use our chess rankings and statistics services.

By using TopChess100, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Automatically Collected Data

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing behavior:

• Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.
• Usage Data: Information about how you use our website, including pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, search queries, and interaction with features.
• Analytics Data: We use Vercel Analytics and Speed Insights to understand website performance and user behavior patterns.

2.2 Chess Player Data

TopChess100 displays publicly available chess player information sourced from official chess organizations. This data includes:

• FIDE Data: Official ratings, rankings, player names, countries, ages, and game statistics from the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
• Public Information: All chess player data displayed is publicly available information and is not collected directly from users of our website.

2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience and analyze website usage. Types of cookies we use include:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the website to function properly, including session management and security.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website through Vercel Analytics.
• Advertising Cookies: Google AdSense uses cookies to serve relevant advertisements based on your browsing history.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Service Provision: To provide, maintain, and improve our chess rankings and statistics services.
• User Experience: To personalize your experience, remember your preferences, and optimize website performance.
• Analytics: To analyze usage patterns, understand user behavior, and improve our content and features.
• Advertising: To serve relevant advertisements through Google AdSense that help support our free service.
• Communication: To respond to your inquiries, provide customer support, and send important service updates.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations, enforce our terms of service, and protect our rights and the rights of others.

4. Data Sharing and Third Parties

4.1 Third-Party Services

We share data with the following third-party service providers:

• Google AdSense: For displaying advertisements. Google uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website or other websites. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
• Vercel: Our hosting provider, which processes technical data for website delivery and analytics.
• Lichess.org API: We fetch live tournament broadcast data from their public API.

4.2 Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this privacy policy.

5. Cookies and Advertising

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our service and hold certain information. Cookies are files with a small amount of data which may include an anonymous unique identifier.

Google AdSense: We use Google AdSense to display advertisements. Google uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our sites and/or other sites on the Internet.

You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings or by visiting aboutads.info.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

• Analytics Data: Retained for up to 26 months for statistical analysis.
• Technical Logs: Retained for up to 90 days for security and troubleshooting purposes.
• Chess Player Data: Updated regularly from public sources; historical data may be retained indefinitely for statistical purposes.

7. Your Rights (GDPR Compliance)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights:

• Right to Access: You can request copies of your personal data.
• Right to Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure: You can request deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can request restriction of processing your personal data under certain conditions.
• Right to Data Portability: You can request transfer of your data to another organization or directly to you.
• Right to Object: You can object to our processing of your personal data under certain conditions.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section below.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Secure HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Access controls and authentication mechanisms
• Secure hosting infrastructure through Vercel

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can take necessary action.

10. Third-Party Links

This website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins, and applications (including Lichess.org for tournament broadcasts). Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new privacy policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy.

You are advised to review this privacy policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this privacy policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, your data rights, or our privacy practices, please contact us:

• Website: topchess100.com
• Email: Contact form available on our website

For GDPR-related inquiries or to exercise your data protection rights, please include "GDPR Request" in your subject line.