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If you intend to buy SparkChess but are having some questions, you’ll find answers here.

Is there more than one subscription type?

We introduced SparkChess Premium Live as a prepaid subscription in 2014 as a result to changes in Chrome Web Store. Users could purchase one-month, six-month, and one-year subscriptions. At the end of the period, users had to manually renew.

The system worked as an alternative to the download options for Windows and Mac.

As time passed, more and more users opted for the online service.

In 2025, we introduced a more streamlined subscription, that works the way virtually all subscriptions work – paid monthy or annually until canceled.

The old prepaid subscription remains available as fallback and for specific cases, such as promotions.

Is SparkChess a downloadable product or a subscription service?

When it was introduced in 2008, SparkChess Pro was purely a downloadable product for Windows and Mac.

Over the years, we discovered (the hard way), just how difficult maintaining such a product is: executables need to be signed (and code-signing certificates are costly), some stupid antiviruses block the downloads and we had to contact them and submit samples, users can’t find the downloaded files, upgrades are difficult, and so on.

We started a transition, first to prepaid subscriptions in 2014 and then to recurring ones in 2025. We believe they bring more value to our players, since with the same subscription they can play on any device, but we still maintain the download options, mostly for existing customers.

Do you have a special offer for schools or clubs?

Yes! SparkChess has been used in schools and chess clubs.

If you represent a school (public or private), chess club or any other educational organization, we’d be happy to talk.

We can offer volume discounts, special private playing areas in multiplayer, even rebranding.

You can also manage members, assign them to teams, allow autologin, and much more.

Is SparkChess Premium subscription-based? Are there recurring charges?

As SparkChess evolved over the years, so did the customer expectations and the choices available. Currently, there are three ways you can enjoy what SparkChess Premium has to offer:

Recurring Premium Live subscription
Pre-paid Premium Live subscription (legacy)
One-time purchase for Windows/Mac apps.

The Premium Live subscription will supersede the other choices.

Is the payment process secure?

Yes, the payment process is perfectly secure. We are PCI-DSS compliant. We do not store, process or transmit any credit card information. The payment process is handled by Braintree, a world-wide leader in electronic transactions.

The connection is secured with the highest-grade SSL encryption, rated ‘A’ by Qualys Labs and, as stated above, we don’t have access to the credit card info anyway. We only store your email and transaction ID, everything else is handled by Braintree.

We continually monitor and test our systems to make sure they are 100% safe. In addition, Braintree requires us to perform regular audits with Security Metrics, a company specialized in PCI-DSS certifications.

What’s your refund policy?

We’re proud of SparkChess; we have tens of thousands of happy players since 2008 and we put you and your satisfaction at the top of our priorities. As such, we have a real Money Back Guarantee, which is highly unusual with downloadable games.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee: If you don’t like SparkChess or are unable to install and play it, we’ll give you a full refund. We only ask you to let us know what you didn’t like about SparkChess, or – if you can’t install/run it – to let us try to help you. This way we can get better.

If you bought SparkChess by mistake, or simply changed your mind, you can get a full refund within 14 days, as long as the game wasn’t downloaded. No questions asked. This is a EU requirement for EU citizens, but we’re extending it for everybody, no matter where you’re from.

If you bought the wrong version, for example you wanted the PC version but bought the Mac one instead, we’ll replace it free of charge, as long as you make the request within three working days from the purchase date.

This refund policy applies only for purchases from sparkchess.com. If you have purchased SparkChess from another online store like Apple AppStore or Google Play, you must request a refund from the store you purchased SparkChess from, subject to the store refund policy.

What payment methods are available?

If you have a Visa (including Electron and Debit), Mastercard, Maestro, Discover or JCB card, you can get SparkChess Premium securely and easily from our site using a simple form. We also support prepaid cards. We do not store, transmit or process your card info – everything is handled by Braintree, our payment processor, a leader in electronic payments. If you choose this option, the name on the bank statement will be ‘SparkChess’.

Do I have to upgrade when a new release is available?

If you have the standalone version for Windows/Mac, we certainly recommend you to upgrade, but the decision is up to you. Upgrading gives you access to new features and may correct any bugs we discovered. Also, as we improve and expand the multiplayer service, it may become incompatible with the older versions. The single-player experience never expires so you may continue to use the game for as long as you want.

On SparkChess Premium Live, all updates are automatic and you don’t need to worry about anything.