Chess JournalChess Journal Privacy Policy
Operator: Yixiao Zhang. Contact: [email protected].
Effective date: October 22, 2026 (version 1.3 (12) and later builds).
Your games and learning progress
Chess Journal imports public, completed games from Chess.com. Stockfish analysis, game records, practice games, downloaded puzzles, and learning progress are stored on your device. Core analysis runs locally. Changing the linked Chess.com username only changes the source for future imports; existing games, analyses, and learning history are retained. Each game keeps its original player IDs and review side. Chess.com and our puzzle delivery service receive the network requests needed to import games and download packs. Your app sign-in account does not itself back up your library or learning progress; optional iCloud sync is described below.
Optional iCloud sync
When enabled in Settings → iCloud Sync, your selected Chess.com username, game records (including public player names and moves), completed Stockfish analyses and AI reviews, and lesson and puzzle progress are stored through Apple CloudKit in your private iCloud database. This syncs data between devices using the same iCloud account and counts toward your iCloud storage. Our app servers do not receive these sync copies. The engine, downloaded resources, running tasks, and sign-in credentials are not synced. Your system iCloud account is separate from your app sign-in.
Turning sync off keeps existing local and iCloud data. Deleting a game while sync is enabled also removes that game and its local review copies on other devices. Sync retains deletion markers without game content to prevent offline devices from restoring deleted data. You can manage or remove the app’s cloud data in your system iCloud storage settings; local data is retained. Deleting your app account does not automatically remove your separately managed iCloud copies. Apple processes this data under its applicable iCloud terms.
Your account
Optional Sign in with Apple enables AI game reviews. Apple and Supabase authenticate you. Supabase stores an account identifier and the email address or private relay address that Apple provides. We do not receive your Apple password. Our service maintains an associated account identifier, access status, and AI usage records. Login credentials are stored in the device Keychain on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
AI game reviews
When you request a single-game AI review, the game PGN and structured Stockfish analysis are first sent to our Cloudflare service. In versions offering model selection, you can choose DeepSeek 4.1 Flash or Claude Haiku 5.5: the former sends data to DeepSeek; the latter sends it through OpenRouter to Anthropic. This choice requires permission under the explanation naming both services. Requests from older versions with DeepSeek-only permission continue to use DeepSeek. This includes moves, public player usernames contained in the PGN, evaluation changes, key positions, suggested continuations, timing information, and detected tactical patterns. Multi-game AI reviews send statistics for the selected scope, per-game tags, and selected evidence or move fragments, rather than every full game PGN. We cache the generated review and keep request identifiers, status, and usage records to return results, avoid duplicate work, and enforce limits. The selected provider processes the request under its applicable API terms. Reviews identify their generating model. Regenerating with another model uses one AI request; prior versions remain available for local viewing. AI commentary can contain mistakes.
Usage statistics and service protection
Usage statistics are off by default. Only after you turn on Share usage statistics in Settings → Privacy does PostHog, hosted in the US, receive feature events and activity within this app, a random installation identifier, and app/device context such as version, model, language, and time zone. These events help us understand feature use and retention and improve the product. Statistics are linked to your app account after sign-in, and guest events may be associated with that account; they are therefore not entirely anonymous. We disable screen recording, automatic interaction capture, and IP geolocation, and enable project IP anonymization. Network providers still handle IP addresses when transporting requests. Usage statistics exclude game records, positions, and move sequences.
You can stop new client statistics in Settings → Privacy → Share usage statistics. After sign-in, this choice also controls new service-side PostHog analytics events. Turning it off clears optional analytics awaiting delivery. Choices from the former custom alert or ATT-enabled build are not automatically reused; sharing requires a fresh choice under the explanation in this version. Chess and AI features remain available with statistics off.
To provide the AI service you request, our server still records app-account-associated request identifiers, status, counts, model and token usage, and necessary duration and error details. These records support result delivery, deduplication, usage accounting, quotas, troubleshooting and abuse prevention. Service operation records are separate from optional PostHog product analytics: turning statistics off does not disable usage accounting. Turning off Allow AI data sharing on the same page stops new AI data transmissions.
We do not use advertising identifiers, use this information for targeted advertising or advertising measurement, combine it with other companies' app, website or offline data for advertising, sell personal data, or share data with data brokers. This product analysis and account association are not tracking for advertising or data-broker purposes under Apple's definition. The app does not request system ATT permission.
Retention and deletion
Local records remain on your device until removed. Cloud account identifiers, email addresses, and privacy choices remain until account deletion. Login sessions and challenges are cleared after expiration. Ordinary cached reviews, AI request and usage records, activity records, and administrator audit records are retained for 90 days and cleaned daily. Analytics awaiting PostHog delivery are retained for up to 7 days; completed deletion receipts are retained for 7 days. AI requests with an unconfirmed outcome and unfinished deletion tasks retain records needed until reconciliation or completion. Necessary global usage records with the account association removed help prevent duplicate spending and maintain service budgets.
These periods apply to application records we directly manage. Providers retain their service logs, analytics events, backups, and received AI inputs and outputs under their applicable terms. PostHog cloud event defaults depend on the plan: 1 year for free plans and 7 years for paid plans; account deletion separately requests erasure of associated events. DeepSeek's policy permits retention and processing of inputs and outputs for service delivery, security, and model improvement, with periods depending on the purpose and applicable requirements. OpenRouter and Anthropic process inputs, outputs and service logs under their respective policies and terms; this app’s cache period does not determine their retention periods. Review the provider information below before using AI.
To delete your account and associated service data: open Settings → Delete account in the app and reauthenticate with the same Apple account. Once accepted, the request disables account access while our service deletes the cloud account, cached reviews, and associated usage records, requests deletion of associated PostHog data, and revokes this app's Apple authorization. Check progress in Account. Provider deletion can be asynchronous; unsuccessful steps are retried and processing is shown until completion. Local games and learning records remain on your device; your Chess.com account is unaffected. Signing out alone does not delete an account. Providers handle data retained for legal, security, or backup purposes under their policies. Contact support for further assistance.
For access, correction, export, deletion, or privacy questions, contact [email protected]. Depending on applicable law, you may also have rights to withdraw consent, restrict or object to processing, and complain to your local data protection authority. Optional analytics and AI data sharing depend on your choices. Authentication, request processing, and delivery provide the service you request; necessary security and abuse prevention records maintain the service. Withdrawal does not affect processing already carried out.
Providers may process information outside your country or region, including PostHog, OpenRouter and Anthropic services in the US and DeepSeek's service in China. Data protection rules vary; provider privacy and data processing terms describe their processing locations and applicable safeguards. Local review, lessons, and engine practice are available while you choose whether to enable cloud AI and usage statistics.
Providers and changes
Apple, Supabase, Cloudflare, PostHog, Chess.com, DeepSeek, OpenRouter and Anthropic process the information necessary for their respective services. Contacting support shares the information you choose to include in your message, retained as needed to handle your inquiry and necessary follow-up. Provider information: Apple, Supabase privacy and data processing terms, Cloudflare, PostHog and event retention, Chess.com, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, and Anthropic privacy and commercial terms. Guardians who believe a child has supplied information requiring deletion can also contact support.
We will update this policy when our practices change and display its effective date. New uses of information will be explained before the corresponding collection or sharing.