Code of Conduct
Welcome to the Arena – Where Speed Chess Meets Esports
Checkmate Live is accelerating online speed chess as an esport, creating a battleground where skill, strategy, and sportsmanship converge. We're building a next-generation competitive platform where every move matters, and every player has a fair shot at glory.
Our Foundation: Mateship and Olympic Spirit
Our community is built on Mateship, an Australian and New Zealand cultural value that embodies equality, fairness, frankness, loyalty, and friendship. While we embrace diverse attitudes, beliefs, and skills, we unite under the ancient principle of Ekecheiria—the Olympic Truce—which promotes peace, safe passage, and respect among competitors.
1. Core Values – The Pillars of Our Community
Fair Go: We reward and incentivise users who contribute positively to our platform's growth and competitive spirit.
Fair Play: Every participant deserves equal access to competitive opportunities and an even playing field.
Tolerance: We celebrate diversity and promote good sportsmanship across all levels of play.
Respect: Our community thrives on mutual respect between players, moderators, and officials.
2. Positive Play – Champion Behavior
Speed chess is intense and competitive, but we're here to elevate the game. Play with integrity and keep competition respectful.
Respect the Game: No hate speech, harassment, discrimination, or toxicity. Treat opponents as worthy rivals.
Maintain Competitive Spirit: Every game deserves your best effort from first move to last.
Community Tools: Use mute, report, and block features responsibly to maintain a healthy environment.
No Spamming or Disruptive Behavior: Avoid excessive messaging, chat flooding, trolling, or unsportsmanlike conduct.
Social Media & Public Channels: Toxic or disruptive behavior on social media or other Checkmate Live channels is prohibited. Represent the community with respect.
Respect Our Support Team: Our support team is here to help. Abusing or harassing support staff will not be tolerated.
3. Fair Play – Compete with Integrity
Victory at Checkmate Live is earned through skill and dedication. For detailed fair play enforcement measures, refer to the separate Fair Play Policy.
Zero Tolerance for Cheating: Engine assistance, AI tools, and match-fixing result in permanent suspension.
Account Integrity: Maintain one account. Smurfing and multi-accounting undermine fair competition.
Independent Play: No boosting, win trading, pre-arranged draws, sandbagging, or rating manipulation.
No Unauthorized Chess Assistance: Players may not use chess engines, tablebases, endgame databases, AI assistance, or move evaluation tools during games against humans or bots.
4. Competitive Standards – Professional Excellence
High-stakes competition demands the highest standards of conduct.
Max Effort: Play to win until the final move. Intentional losing or stalling harms the competitive environment.
Tournament Conduct: Follow arbiter instructions and appeal decisions through proper channels.
Real Name for Rated/FIDE Events: Players in FIDE or Echess-rated games must use their verified real name if required by the tournament, in accordance with FIDE and Checkmate Live regulations.
Content & Streaming Guidelines: Streamers and content creators must follow Checkmate Live’s fair play and competitive integrity standards.
No Chess Engine Assistance During Streams: Players must not reference or use chess engines, AI analysis, Stockfish evaluations, or external assistance while streaming live games.
No Headphones Allowed: Headphones are not permitted during competitive events or battle modes to ensure fair play.
5. Communication and Conduct
Match Communication: Keep chat focused on the game. Light trash talk is acceptable but must remain respectful.
Community Interaction: Support fellow players and celebrate exceptional play.
No Spamming or Premature GG Messages: Sending “GG” before the game is over to mock an opponent is unsportsmanlike.
Dispute Resolution: Use our arbitration system for conflict resolution if required.
Social Media Conduct: Players must conduct themselves professionally across all Checkmate Live social channels.
6. Camera & Fair Play Monitoring (For High-Stakes Games)
Mandatory Camera Use for Top Tournaments: Players in high-prize tournaments must keep their webcam on, per fair play regulations.
Screen Sharing & Environment Checks: Arbiters may request randomized screen-sharing checks or a second camera view.
7. Enforcement and Appeals
We maintain competitive integrity through clear, consistent enforcement. For detailed enforcement procedures and appeal processes, refer to the Fair Play Appeals section.
Appeals Process:
Submit appeals within 48 hours of enforcement action.
Provide relevant evidence and context.
Decisions reviewed by independent moderators.
Fair Play Appeals
Learn about Checkmate's fair play appeal process. Understand how to contest decisions, appeal credits, and review timelines for different player tiers.
Alpha and Pro Pass Appeals: Reviewed daily within 72 hours.
Non-Pass Appeals: Reviewed within 30 days.
Appeal Buffers Apply: Players have a limited number of appeals based on their membership tier.
False Appeals or False Flagging: Filing a false appeal or falsely flagging another player will result in a suspension.
Appeals must be submitted with supporting evidence and will be reviewed by the Fairplay team. Certain violations (e.g., confirmed multiple instances of cheating or violations) may not be appealable.
8. Platform Growth and Development
Community Feedback: We actively seek player input for platform improvements.
Competitive Evolution: Regular updates to maintain competitive integrity.
Be a Legend, Play Hard, Play Fair.
Checkmate Live is your arena for competitive play. Together, we're building the future of chess esports through skill, respect, and unwavering competitive integrity.
This Code of Conduct is subject to updates.
To report violations report via chat.
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