Last updated: 2026-07-17T00:00:00.000Z

Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

PawnPilot (“PawnPilot”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is an AI-assisted chess analysis, coaching, and training service operated by Beso Tskhvediani, an individual based in Georgia, acting as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.

If you have any questions about this policy or how your data is handled, contact us at support@pawnpilot.io.

This policy applies to the PawnPilot website at pawnpilot.io, the application at app.pawnpilot.io, and all related features (together, the “Service”).

2. What information we collect

We aim to collect only what we need to run the Service.

Information you provide

• Account data — your email address and the authentication credentials used to sign in. Passwords are stored only as salted, hashed values; we never store them in plain text.
• Chess data — the public games, usernames, and PGN you choose to import, diagnose, or analyse from Chess.com, Lichess, or direct upload, along with the repertoires and training content you create.
• Communications — the content of any message you send us for support.

Information generated as you use the Service

• Product data — analysis results, engine evaluations we cache to avoid re-computation, puzzle attempts, training progress, XP, levels, streaks, and similar gameplay records tied to your account.
• Subscription status — your current plan, trial state, and renewal/expiry dates. We do not collect or store your full card number or bank details (see §5).

Information collected automatically

• Essential technical data — a minimal set of server logs (such as IP address and request metadata) needed to operate the Service securely, prevent abuse, and diagnose errors.
• Local storage — we store your sign-in tokens and your cookie-consent choice in your browser’s local storage so you stay logged in and are not re-asked for consent.

We do not run third-party advertising or marketing analytics. See §6.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• provide, operate, and secure the Service;
• import and analyse the games you choose, and personalise coaching and training;
• maintain your account, subscription, trial, and renewal status;
• respond to your support requests;
• detect, prevent, and address abuse, fraud, and technical problems;
• comply with our legal obligations.

Legal bases (EU/UK users). We rely on: performance of a contract (to provide the Service you sign up for), legitimate interests (to keep the Service secure and working, balanced against your rights), consent (for any optional analytics, which are off by default), and legal obligation (where the law requires it).

We do not use your data to train third-party AI models, and we do not sell your personal data.

4. Chess platform imports

When you import games from Chess.com or Lichess, we retrieve only the public game data associated with the username you provide, using those platforms’ public interfaces. PawnPilot is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Chess.com or Lichess. Your use of those platforms remains subject to their own terms and privacy policies.

Chess analysis with the Stockfish engine runs locally in your browser; your moves are evaluated on your own device. We cache the resulting evaluations on our servers, tied to your account, so games do not need to be re-analysed.

5. Payments

Subscriptions are sold and processed by Paddle (Paddle.com), which acts as our Merchant of Record and as an independent data controller for payment information. When you subscribe, Paddle collects and processes your payment details (such as card or billing information) directly. We never receive or store your full payment card number. We receive from Paddle only the information needed to manage your subscription, such as your plan, transaction identifiers, and renewal status.

Paddle’s handling of your data is governed by its own privacy policy, available at paddle.com.

6. Cookies, analytics, and error tracking

By default we use only essential storage required to run the Service (for example, keeping you signed in and remembering your consent choice). These are not used for tracking or advertising.

• Error tracking (Sentry). To find and fix crashes, the Service reports errors to Sentry, together with technical context such as your IP address, browser type, and the actions that led up to the error. Optional session-replay diagnostics are off unless you consent through our banner.
• Product analytics. We may use privacy-focused product analytics (such as PostHog) to understand which features are used and improve the Service. Analytics load only after you explicitly accept them in our consent banner — declining never limits the Service. We do not run third-party advertising or marketing trackers.

You can change or withdraw your choice at any time by clearing your browser’s site data, after which you will be asked again.

7. Sharing and disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only:

• with service providers that help us run the Service under appropriate agreements:
  • Railway — hosting and infrastructure;
  • Paddle — payments, as Merchant of Record (see §5);
  • OpenAI — powers the AI coach: when you use coaching features, the relevant chess positions, game context, and your coach messages are sent to OpenAI’s API to generate explanations and audio narration. OpenAI’s API terms prohibit it from training models on this data;
  • Resend — transactional email delivery (verification, password reset, and the weekly digest you can opt out of);
  • Sentry — error tracking (see §6);
• to comply with the law, respond to lawful requests, or protect the rights, safety, and property of our users, the public, or us;
• in a business transfer, if the Service is ever involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will notify affected users.

8. International transfers

We operate globally, and your data may be processed in countries other than your own, including where our providers (such as Railway and Paddle) operate. Where required by law, transfers of personal data out of the EU/EEA or UK are protected by appropriate safeguards, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses.

9. Data retention

We keep your personal data for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the Service. You can permanently delete your account at any time from Profile settings → Delete account inside the app; this immediately erases your account, games, analysis, and training data from our production database and cancels any active subscription. Certain records may be retained where required for legal, tax, accounting, or security obligations (for example, billing records held by our payments provider). Backups are purged on a rolling schedule.

10. Your rights

You can exercise the most common rights yourself, instantly, inside the app: download a complete machine-readable copy of your data (Profile settings → Download my data) or permanently delete your account (Profile settings → Delete account). Wherever you live, you can also contact us at support@pawnpilot.io to access, correct, or delete your data, or to ask a question about this policy.

If you are in the EU/EEA or UK (GDPR / UK GDPR), you also have the right to: access your data; have it corrected or erased; restrict or object to processing; data portability; and withdraw consent at any time. You may lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

If you are in California (CCPA/CPRA), you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to request access to or deletion of it, to correct it, and to not be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell or “share” your personal information as those terms are defined under California law.

We will respond to verified requests within the timeframe required by applicable law.

11. Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, and token-based authentication. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your information and to address vulnerabilities promptly.

12. Children’s privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you are in the EU/EEA, you must additionally meet your country’s minimum age of digital consent (between 13 and 16). If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us at support@pawnpilot.io and we will delete it.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you through the Service. Your continued use of the Service after an update means you accept the revised policy.

14. Contact

Questions, requests, or complaints about your privacy? Email us at support@pawnpilot.io.