Payment
If you intend to buy SparkChess but are having some questions, you’ll find answers here.
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 an 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.
Are updates free?
For downloadable versions for Windows & Mac, point-releases are free, i.e. if you buy version 9.0, you’ll get versions 9.1 through 9.9 for free, but not 10.0. Point-releases contain mostly bug fixes and improvements of existing functionality.
We update SparkChess Premium Live much quicker and in a transparent manner, so you don’t need to do anything – every time you log in, you’ll have the latest version.
Recent Articles
- Overlooking Chess’s Past While Chronicling Its Present
- Chess in Georgia and Washington (May 2026)
- 2026 President’s Cup and Women’s President’s Cup: College Chess Championships
- Chess and Poker: Jennifer Shahade Returns to US Chess
- Tools of the Chess Trade
- GM Jan Timman’s Last Book
- International Chess Players in Texas
- Bobby Fischer’s Chess Queen: A Review