Terms of Service

1. Acceptance

By using EloChaser ("the Platform"), you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

2. What EloChaser Is

EloChaser connects chess students with chess coaches. Coaches set their own prices, availability, and languages. We facilitate booking, payment, and reviews, but we are not a party to any coaching relationship between users.

3. Accounts

• You must provide accurate information when creating an account.
• You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure.
• One account per person. Creating multiple accounts to exploit free trials, evade restrictions, or otherwise abuse the Platform is prohibited.
• You must be at least 13 years old. Users under 18 must have parental consent.
• Neither booking lessons nor offering them requires a chess.com account. Verifying your chess.com account is optional and adds a trust badge to your profile.

4. Payments and Wallet

• Payments are processed by Stripe. EloChaser does not store full card details.
• You fund a single wallet (deposits from $5.00 to $200.00 each) and spend it with any coach on the Platform. A payment-processing fee of $0.40 + 2% is added to each deposit and shown before you pay.
• When you book a lesson, its cost is reserved from your wallet. If the coach declines or the request expires, the reserved amount is released back to your wallet automatically.
• Wallet deposits are non-refundable except where required by applicable law. Use the contact form for refund requests.
• A coach's wallet shows their gross earnings; the Platform's commission is taken at withdrawal, not when a lesson completes.
• Coaches can withdraw their earnings (minimum $5.00) at any time. Each withdrawal deducts a flat $2.50 payout fee (covering Stripe's payout costs) plus a 5% platform commission. The effective rate falls the more you withdraw at once, so batching payouts is cheaper.

5. Free Trials

• Every new student account gets up to 3 free trial lessons. Coaches choose whether to accept them.
• Free trials cost nothing. Coaches must successfully complete at least one free trial lesson before they are eligible to receive paid bookings.
• If a coach declines a free trial request, the trial is consumed (not refunded to the student) to deter spam. Trials are restored if the coach simply fails to respond and the request expires.
• Each student may use at most one free trial per coach.
• Failing to attend a booked free trial without cancelling beforehand forfeits all of the student's remaining free trials.
• If a free trial is reported as unsatisfactory and an admin agrees, the trial does not count as a successfully delivered lesson for the coach.
• Abusing the free trial system (e.g. multiple accounts) results in suspension.

6. Coach Verification (optional)

Coaches may optionally verify their identity by linking a chess.com account. Verification is reviewed by our admin team and adds a badge to your profile. EloChaser does not guarantee the quality, qualifications, or conduct of any individual coach, verified or otherwise.

6a. Coach Taxes

Coaching earnings paid out through EloChaser are your responsibility to declare to your local tax authority. EloChaser does not withhold, remit, or report taxes on your behalf. We may issue payout summaries on request.

7. Booking, No-Shows and Refunds

• Lessons can be booked from a few minutes ahead up to 1 week in advance.
• Coaches are expected to be ready at the scheduled start time. If the coach does not join, the lesson expires and the student is fully refunded.
• If the student does not join at the scheduled start time but the coach is ready, the coach is paid in full to compensate for their reserved time.
• Students may cancel an accepted lesson up to 30 minutes before it starts and are fully refunded. Within 30 minutes of the start, the booking is committed - a student who does not attend is treated as a no-show.
• Coaches may cancel an accepted lesson any time before it starts; the student is fully refunded.
• After a lesson, the student has 24 hours to Report Issue. They may also confirm the lesson early to release payment immediately. Otherwise, payment auto-transfers to the coach when the 24 hours elapse.

8. Disputes

• If a student reports a lesson, an admin reviews it before any payment is released.
• Outcomes can include: full refund to student, payment to coach, partial resolution, or account suspension if abuse is found.
• EloChaser's decisions on disputes are final.

9. Prohibited Conduct

• Creating multiple accounts or sharing payment methods to circumvent limits.
• Spamming requests or abusing the booking system.
• Harassment, threats or abuse of other users.
• Bypassing the Platform for off-platform payments to avoid fees.
• Using the Platform for any illegal purpose.

10. Suspension

EloChaser may suspend any account that violates these Terms, engages in fraud, or is flagged by our abuse-detection systems. While suspended, an account cannot book lessons, accept lessons, deposit funds, withdraw earnings, or be discovered in search - all money movement is paused until the review concludes. Use the contact form to appeal.

11. Limitation of Liability

The Platform is provided "as is". To the fullest extent permitted by law, EloChaser is not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including lost data, revenue or profits, arising from your use of the Platform.

12. Changes

We may update these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance. The "Last updated" date above will be revised.

13. Contact

Questions? Reach us through the contact form.