Vibe Chess Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 3, 2026

Applies to Vibe Chess for Android (com.vibetech.chessmaster), version 1.0.7 and later. Some parts of the app work differently depending on the version. The main text covers version 1.0.8 and later. Sections labelled "Version 1.0.7 and earlier" cover older versions that are still installed on some phones. Published by Vibe Tech LLC.

The short version

Playing against the computer, Lessons, and Puzzle Coach all run on your phone. You don't need an account with us, and we don't show ads. Three things do send data off your phone: the AI Tutor (only when you ask it something), Google Play Games (achievements and leaderboards), and purchases through Google Play. The rest of this page explains each one.

What stays on your phone

Your games, moves, settings, lesson and puzzle progress, and board and piece choices stay on your phone. The chess engine you play against, including the Expert level that comes with Vibe Chess Pro, runs locally.

When you buy something, Google Play gives the app a purchase receipt. The app keeps that receipt on your phone so it knows what you've unlocked. We don't send it to our server.

AI Tutor

This section covers version 1.0.8 and later. If your phone still has version 1.0.7 or earlier, see "AI Tutor: Version 1.0.7 and earlier" below.

The AI Tutor is the only part of the app that talks to our server. Nothing goes out until you type a question and send it.

When you send a question, the app sends three things:

• the current board position, written in standard chess notation (FEN)
• the question you typed
• an install ID: a random code the app made on your phone. It isn't linked to your name, email, Google account or phone number.

That goes to our own server, which Vibe Tech runs on Cloudflare. Before your question goes anywhere else, our server removes any email addresses and phone numbers in it.

Our server then sends three things to OpenRouter, a service that routes requests to AI models: our instructions for the Tutor, the board position and your question, with those details removed. Your install ID is not sent to OpenRouter. The answer comes from Anthropic's Claude Haiku 5.5 model. If that model can't answer, OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Luna model answers instead. There is no other backup model. We tell OpenRouter to send your request only to Amazon Bedrock (in the US, region us-east-1) or Microsoft Azure (in the US). We also tell it to use zero data retention, so the provider doesn't keep your request, and to turn data collection off. The model writes the answer, and our server sends it back to you.

Where your data is processed. OpenRouter, Amazon and Microsoft are based in the United States, and we allow only US locations for the AI models. If you use the AI Tutor from outside the US, your question and board position are sent to the United States.

The question counters described below are stored by Cloudflare in the United States.

What we keep:

• We don't save your question, the board position, or the answer.
• We don't save your install ID itself. We save only a scrambled, one-way version of it (a salted SHA-256 hash). We use it only to count how many questions were asked this minute, today, and this month, so we can keep the Tutor fair for everyone. These counters are kept in Cloudflare storage and contain no questions or answers.
• Our server's logs keep only the first 8 characters of that scrambled code. They never include your question or the answer.

We have turned off Cloudflare's per-request logs for our server. Our server writes only short status and error records (for example, which feature was used, whether it worked, how long it took, and the first few characters of the scrambled install ID). These records don't include your IP address, your question or the answer. Cloudflare keeps them for up to 7 days, then deletes them.

Please don't put personal information in your Tutor questions.

AI Tutor: Version 1.0.7 and earlier

If your phone has Vibe Chess version 1.0.7 or earlier, the AI Tutor works the way described in this subsection, not the way described above.

The AI Tutor is the only part of the app that talks to our server. Opening the Tutor screen sends a quick check to see if the service is up, and that check carries none of your data. Nothing else goes out until you type a question and send it.

When you send a question, the app sends three things:

• the current board position, written in standard chess notation (FEN)
• the question you typed
• a random ID the app made on your phone. It isn't linked to your name, email, Google account, or phone number.

That goes to our server, which runs on Render. Our server passes the board position and your question to OpenRouter, a US company that routes requests to AI models. We ask OpenRouter to use only Anthropic models run by Amazon Bedrock and OpenAI models run by Microsoft Azure, and only endpoints that, under their zero data retention policies, don't keep your data. We request US regions for these providers, but we don't promise every request is processed only in the United States. The model writes the answer, and our server sends it back to you.

Where your data is processed. Our server, OpenRouter, Amazon and Microsoft are based in the United States, so if you use the AI Tutor from outside the US, your question and board position are sent to the United States (and possibly other countries where these providers run).

We've configured OpenRouter to use only providers that don't keep or train on your question and board position, per their policies, and OpenRouter doesn't keep them either. Our random ID is not sent to OpenRouter.

What we keep:

• We don't save your question or the board position.
• We keep the random ID with a count of how many questions it asked today and this month, plus the time of the last question. That's how we enforce the Tutor's limits (currently 40 questions a day and 800 a month). Each ID has one record, and the counts get overwritten rather than stored as a history. We don't have a set automatic deletion period for these records. Our server keeps them in temporary storage that is wiped whenever the server restarts or updates, which on our current hosting plan happens often (for example, after it's been idle for a while). Until then, a record stays on our server (see Deleting your data: version 1.0.7 and earlier).
• Render, the company that hosts our server, keeps our server logs for up to 30 days, and those logs may include your IP address. Our own code doesn't log your question, the board position, or your ID.
• To prevent abuse, our server uses your IP address to limit how many requests it gets each minute. It keeps the address only in memory, not on disk or in our own logs, and clears it when the server restarts.

Please don't put personal information in your Tutor questions.

Google Play Games

Vibe Chess uses Google Play Games for achievements and leaderboards, like total wins and puzzle rating. The app starts Play Games when it opens, so if you've used Play Games before, Google may sign you in automatically without asking. While you're signed in, Google gets your Play Games profile, your achievements and scores, and usage and diagnostic data that Google's Play Games code collects on its own. Google handles that data under its privacy policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy). You can turn off automatic sign-in, or see and delete your Play Games data, in the Play Games app or your Google Account settings.

Purchases

Vibe Chess is a paid download on Google Play. Vibe Chess Pro is an optional one-time upgrade for $4.99 that unlocks the full Lessons library, the full Puzzle Coach, and the Expert computer level. Pro does not unlock boards or pieces. Google Play handles every payment, so we never see your card or billing details.

Ads and analytics

There are no ads. We haven't added any analytics or crash-reporting services. The only usage data collected is what Google's Play Games code collects, described above, plus the purchase data Google Play Billing logs for Google when you buy something.

Security

Everything the app sends goes over encrypted HTTPS. The app blocks unencrypted connections.

Who we share data with

We don't sell your data. Tutor questions (in version 1.0.8 and later, with emails and phone numbers removed) and board positions go through OpenRouter to Anthropic and OpenAI models run by Amazon Bedrock or Microsoft Azure, so they can answer you. They handle it for us under the settings described above. In version 1.0.8 and later, Cloudflare hosts our server and handles requests for us. In version 1.0.7 and earlier, Render does. Play Games and purchase data goes straight to Google.

Why we're allowed to use this data

Where privacy laws ask for a legal basis: we use your question, board position and install ID to answer you because you asked (to provide the service you requested). We keep the question counters and short log codes because we have a legitimate interest in keeping the Tutor working, fair and safe from abuse. Google handles Play Games and purchase data under its own terms.

Deleting your data

Vibe Chess has no accounts. Your games, progress, settings and purchase receipts are stored only on your phone. To delete them, uninstall the app, or go to Settings → Apps → Vibe Chess → Storage → Clear storage. That also removes your install ID, so we can no longer link the question counters on our server to you.

On our server we keep only the question counters described above, stored under a scrambled version of your install ID, not under your name or email. Apart from these counters and the short codes in our server logs, we don't keep anything from your use of Vibe Chess. The daily count starts over each day and the monthly count each month, and the whole counter record is deleted automatically after the month ends. The app doesn't show you your install ID, so if you email us, we can't find your counters from your email alone. Uninstalling the app or clearing its storage cuts the link right away, and the old counters then delete themselves after the month ends. You can email support@vibe-tech.org with any question or deletion request.

Google Play Games data (profile, achievements, scores) and purchases are held by Google; manage or delete them in the Google Play Games app, your Google Play account, or at myaccount.google.com.

Deleting your data: Version 1.0.7 and earlier

Vibe Chess has no accounts. If you use the AI Tutor, your typed question and the board position are sent through our server to our AI provider to produce an answer, along with a random ID kept on your device that we use to count how many questions you ask each day and month. Our server keeps that usage count linked to the random ID. The app doesn't yet have an in-app delete option, and automatic expiry is coming in a future update. If you uninstall the app, the ID is gone and we can no longer link any data to you. Our hosting provider keeps our server logs for up to 30 days, and those logs may include your IP address. Your games, progress and purchase receipts are stored only on your phone; uninstalling or Settings → Apps → Vibe Chess → Storage → Clear storage deletes them. Google Play Games data (profile, achievements, scores) and purchases are held by Google; manage or delete them in the Google Play Games app, your Google Play account, or at myaccount.google.com. Questions: support@vibe-tech.org.

Children

Vibe Chess is rated for everyone on Google Play, but it isn't directed at children under 13, and children under 13 shouldn't use the AI Tutor. If we learn that a child under 13 sent us data through the Tutor, we'll delete it. Parents can ask us to do this by emailing support@vibe-tech.org.

Changes

If we change how the app handles data, we'll update this page and the "Last updated" date.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email support@vibe-tech.org.