Refund & Cancellation
At CHESS OX, we prioritize fairness and transparency. This policy outlines the conditions under which refunds are issued for tournament entries and deposits.
1. INTRODUCTION & SCOPE
This Refund and Cancellation Policy governs the relationship between CHESS OX and its users regarding financial reversals. Our systems are designed to minimize technical errors, but we recognize that issues can occur. This policy is part of our commitment to maintaining a trust-based gaming environment.
2. AUTOMATED REFUND SCENARIOS
Our backend system is programmed to automatically reverse entry fees in specific scenarios where a match cannot be completed through no fault of the user.
2.1 Tournament Cancellation
If an administrator cancels a tournament before it begins or while it is in progress due to server maintenance or technical issues, 100% of the entry fee will be credited back to the user's wallet within 5 minutes.
2.2 Minimum Player Requirement
For tournaments that require a minimum number of participants (e.g., a 16-player knockout), if the quota is not met within the registration window, the tournament is automatically voided and entry fees are returned.
2.3 Global Server Outage
In the event of a catastrophic server failure that disconnects all active matches simultaneously, the system will identify affected games and issue bulk refunds once services are restored.
3. MANUAL REFUND REQUESTS
Users may petition for a refund if they encounter a specific bug that prevented them from competing fairly.
3.1 Eligibility for Manual Refund
- Move Not Registered: The user made a valid move, the timer was running, but the server failed to record the move despite a stable connection.
- Incorrect Win/Loss Assignment: The game ended in a draw, but the system incorrectly marked it as a loss.
- Opponent Engine Usage: If a user loses to an opponent who is later banned for cheating, the entry fee for that specific match may be refunded upon request.
3.2 How to Request
Requests must be submitted via the Feedback section of the app. You must include the Tournament ID and a brief description of the issue. Screenshots or screen recordings are highly encouraged.
4. NON-REFUNDABLE SCENARIOS
To prevent abuse of the refund system, the following scenarios are strictly excluded from refund eligibility:
4.1 User Connectivity Issues
CHESS OX is not responsible for your internet speed, signal strength, or ISP reliability. If you lose a match because your WiFi dropped or your mobile data was slow, a refund is typically not issued. However, if a widespread network disruption is detected on our end affecting multiple users, we may review these cases collectively.
4.2 Device Failures
If your phone battery dies, your browser crashes, or you receive a phone call that interrupts your match, the loss is typically final. However, if our logs indicate a platform-side crash that affected your device's ability to render the game, we will consider a refund upon review.
4.3 "Mouse Slips" or Accidental Moves
Chess is a game of precision. Accidental moves, resigning by mistake, or "misclicks" are considered part of the user's performance and are not refundable.
5. CANCELLATION POLICY
5.1 User-Initiated Cancellation
You may cancel your registration for a tournament and receive a full refund of the entry fee ONLY if the tournament has not yet started. Once the tournament brackets are generated and the lobby opens, the entry fee is locked and non-refundable.
5.2 Withdrawal Cancellation
If you have initiated a withdrawal of Coins to your bank account, you may cancel the request only if it is in "Pending" status. Once the request moves to "Processing" or "Success", it cannot be reversed.
6. DISPUTE RESOLUTION & FINAL AUTHORITY
If you are unsatisfied with a refund decision made by our support team, you may escalate the issue for a final review. This review will be conducted by a senior administrator and will involve a deep-dive into the raw PGN (Portable Game Notation) and WebSocket logs of the match in question.
7. PROCESSING TIMELINES
- Automated Refunds: Instant (within 5 minutes).
- Manual Refund Review: 24 to 48 hours.
- Partial Refunds: In specific cases of match interruption where a full refund is not applicable, a partial refund (e.g., 50%) may be issued at our discretion.
- Taxes & Fees: Approved refunds typically cover the base entry fee. Platform fees and GST already processed for government filing may be non-refundable.
- Bank/UPI Reversals: In cases of failed deposits, the money usually returns to your source account within 5-7 business days as per banking standards.
8. DETAILED REFUND APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: REFUND SCENARIO MATRIX
| Issue Type | Refund Status | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| Server Crash | YES (Full) | Automatic |
| User Internet Drop | NO | None |
| Opponent Cheating | YES (Conditional) | Manual Request |
APPENDIX B: DEPOSIT FAILURE FLOW
If your money was deducted but Coins were not added:
- Do not panic. Check your "Transaction History".
- Wait for 30 minutes. Most payment gateways have a delayed sync.
- If still not added, contact support with the "Transaction UTR Number".
- We will verify with the gateway and credit your wallet manually.
APPENDIX D: BANK SETTLEMENT CYCLES
When a refund is initiated from our end to your source account, the following third-party timelines apply:
- HDFC/ICICI/SBI: 2-3 Business Days.
- Co-operative Banks: 7-10 Business Days.
- UPI Wallets (Paytm/PhonePe): 1-2 Business Days.
- Credit Cards: 5-7 Business Days (depends on your billing cycle).
APPENDIX E: PAYMENT GATEWAY SPECIFICS (RAZORPAY)
As we use Razorpay for processing, any "Transaction Pending" status at the gateway level is outside our immediate control. If your bank has debited the amount but the gateway has not confirmed it, we must wait for the gateway's "Final Reconciliation" which happens every 24 hours at midnight IST.
APPENDIX F: REFUND AUDITING & BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS
To prevent "Refund Fraud", our system logs the following for every request:
- Touch Events: Did the user actually try to move?
- Network Ping: Was the latency spike internal or external?
- Device Health: Was the CPU throttled or battery low?
APPENDIX G: ACCOUNT-LEVEL REFUND AUDITING
To maintain platform stability, excessive manual refund requests from a single account will trigger a comprehensive audit of the user's technical setup and account standing. We reserve the right to restrict refund access for accounts found to be abusing the system.
APPENDIX H: REFUND PRIORITY QUEUES
Refunds are generally processed in the order they are received. However, high-value transactions or cases involving tournament-wide technical disruptions may be prioritized for immediate resolution to maintain ecosystem integrity.
APPENDIX I: THIRD-PARTY ADJUDICATION
In cases of high-value disputes (over ₹5,000), CHESS OX may employ a third-party chess arbiter to review the match and determine if a technical fault truly altered the outcome.
APPENDIX J: POLICY UPDATES & NOTIFICATIONS
Changes to the Refund Policy are communicated via in-app notifications. Continued use of the platform after an update implies consent to the new terms.