Questions & Answers

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.

My antivirus blocks SparkChess – why?

SparkChess does not contain any form of malware, spyware, adware or anything harmful. It doesn’t interact with the system beyond loading & saving games and accessing the internet in multiplayer; the installer doesn’t do anything else besides copying files. Still, some overzealous antiviruses may very rarely flag SparkChess and move it to quarantine. (Sometimes, antiviruses manage to actually label themselves as viruses.)

SparkChess was briefly flagged by Norton Antivirus as ‘WS.Reputation1‘, which basically means a file not commonly downloaded (new release – duh!). We worked with Symantec and whitelisted it but the process has to be repeated for every release. You should keep your virus definitions up-to-date so you don’t get false-positives.

If you are unsure about SparkChess for Windows, you can use the free VirusTotal.com service to upload and scan the installer. They scan with 70 different antivirus and antimalware programs.

If Norton Antivirus quarantined your download, please follow these instructions to restore it.

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 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.

I purchased SparkChess but I still see the free version when I play

You’re probably launching the free version by mistake. Don’t worry, it happens.

Let’s review the possibilities:

• if you purchased SparkChess for PC or Mac, you no longer need to play the game in your browser. You must locate the downloaded game and install it on your computer. Use CTRL+J / CMD+J from your browser to see the Download History and look for a file containing the word “sparkchess”, e.g. sparkchess20setup.exe on PC or sparkchess20.zip on Mac.
• If you subscribed to Premium Live, you no longer need to access www.sparkchess.com – instead you must open the premium site at premium.sparkchess.com to sign in and play.

How do I add or save PGN files on iOS or Android?

Over the years, both Apple and Google changed the permissions of the apps numerous times. As such, SparkChess had to adapt, sometimes restricting the options to import and export PGN files.

With SparkChess 18 for iOS/Android, released in 2024, PGN files and screenshots are available in the Documents folder.

How is Stalemate declared?

Stalemate occurs when the player who must move is not in check but has no legal moves. This situation happens most frequently when the player has just the King left on the board and any move would place them in check.

A stalemate causes the game to end as a Draw, therefore the player who has the advantage should try to avoid it and checkmate instead, while the disadvantaged player may try to force a stalemate to avoid losing.

How does filtering work in multiplayer?

Currently the following filters are available:

• by score: with this filter enabled, only players within 10% of your score will be shown. So if you have 1000 points, you’ll see only players with at least 900 points and at most 1100 points.
• by subnet: The filtering is done by IP address. Only players with IP addresses from your “virtual neighborhood” are shown (technically speaking it’s a Class-C subnet). This usually means only players from the same building or block, although it depends on your Internet provider. This mode is perfect when you want to play with a coworker or at home with another person in the same house.
• by country: only players determined to be in the same country as you are shown. This method may not be always available. Players who’ve just created accounts may not have their country determined yet.

We should mention that your location (both the IP and the country) are safe. Another player cannot learn your location.