Responsible gaming
This should stay a game you enjoy.
Most people play a few matches, win some, lose some, and stop when they meant to. For some people it stops working like that. If that is you, or you are not sure, everything on this page is here to help you take control of it.
01 — Your controls
Limits you set, that we cannot talk you out of.
Every tool below is in your account settings. Tightening a limit takes effect immediately. Loosening one never happens instantly, and self-exclusion cannot be undone at all.
Decide the most you can ever add in a day.
Once the cap is hit, further deposits are refused for 24 hours, even if you change your mind. Lowering the cap applies straight away. Raising it takes 24 hours to come into effect, so the decision is never made in the moment.
Shut the door, and mean it.
Choose a period and your account is closed to play and deposits for the whole of it. It cannot be reversed or shortened, by you or by support, no matter what you tell us later. Your remaining balance stays yours and can be withdrawn.
Your wallet shows total deposited, total withdrawn and net position over any period. Not just wins.
Withdraw your balance and close at any time, with no questions and no retention offers.
Self-exclude or close your account and we stop contacting you about playing, permanently.
02 — Age
18 or over. No exceptions.
You confirm your age at signup, and age is verified before any withdrawal is processed. An account found to belong to someone under 18 is closed, all stakes are refunded, and any winnings are void.
If you share a device with children, use your operating system's account controls and consider filtering software. We cannot see who is at the keyboard.
03 — Warning signs
Some honest questions to ask yourself.
None of these on its own means you have a problem. Recognising several of them in yourself is worth taking seriously.
You are playing with money meant for rent, bills, food or debt.
You have raised your stake to win back what you lost, rather than because you wanted a harder game.
You play longer than you planned to, most times you sit down.
You have hidden how much you play, or how much you have lost, from someone close to you.
Losing a match affects your mood for hours rather than minutes.
You have borrowed money, or sold something, to keep playing.
Because this is a game of skill, it is easy to believe the next match will put things right. Skill improves your odds over many games; it does not make any single game a way to recover money you cannot afford to have lost.
04 — Getting help
Free, confidential support exists.
These organisations are independent of ChessLeaders. They are free, they are confidential, and they will not tell you off.
Confirm the current contact details for these services before launch, and add a local resource for every country ChessLeaders accepts players from.
Talk to us instead of stopping alone.
Ask support to set a cap for you, close your account, or exclude you for a period. We will not try to change your mind and we will not send you offers afterwards.