Sara's MovePrivacy policy
Effective October 13, 2026
Sara's Move is a chess game you can play in your browser at play.sarasmove.com and in our iPhone and Android apps. It is run from Canada. This policy explains what we collect, why, and what you can do about it. Questions or requests: contact us.
What we collect
You can play without an account. When you do, we only keep the games you play, tied to an anonymous seat token (a cookie on the web) and a short game code. No email, no name.
With an account we collect:
- Your email address, to send you sign-in codes and links. We never show it to other players.
- Your nickname, which other players see.
- Your games: moves, results, clocks, ratings and the opponent you played.
- Your puzzle results and puzzle rating.
- Your friends: friends, friend requests, invite links and challenges.
- Sign-in sessions: when each session was created and last used, and a short device label such as "Firefox on Linux" or "Pixel 9". We do not store your full browser or device details.
- Notification tokens and settings, only if you allow notifications in the app.
- The IP address of a sign-in request, kept with the sign-in code to stop abuse.
Usage statistics
To keep the service stable and size it correctly, we measure how it is used, for example the number of players and active accounts, games played and their type, and server load. We do this ourselves, from our own app and database. The website and the web game also use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which counts page views without cookies or fingerprinting and reports only totals, not individual visitors. The iPhone and Android apps contain no analytics or crash-reporting SDK.
What we do not do
- No advertising.
- No tracking across other companies' apps or websites.
- No selling or sharing of your personal information for marketing.
Who processes data for us
| Provider | What for |
|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services | Sends the sign-in email (Amazon SES) and stores encrypted database backups (Amazon S3), both in Canada |
| Cloudflare | Carries all traffic to this site and the game, runs the Turnstile check on the sign-up page and the contact form, and counts page views (Web Analytics) |
| Apple and Google | Deliver notifications to iPhone (Apple Push Notification service) and Android (Firebase Cloud Messaging) |
| FormHive | Delivers the messages you send through the contact form: your name, email address and message |
Where your data is
The game server, its database and the backups are in Canada. Cloudflare handles each request at its nearest location, and Apple and Google deliver notifications from their own networks, so your personal information may be processed outside Canada, including in the United States, by these providers to deliver the service.
How long we keep it
| Data | Kept |
|---|---|
| Sign-in codes | 24 hours |
| Web sign-in sessions | Up to a year; deleted 30 days after they end or are signed out |
| App sign-in sessions | Until you sign out; deleted 30 days after |
| Notification tokens | Until the session they belong to ends |
| Decided friend requests, invites and challenges | 30 days after they are decided |
| Games that never started | One day after the game code expires |
| Imported games no account claims | 180 days |
| Your account data | Until you delete your account |
| Backups | 35 days |
Deleting your account
You can delete your account from the web, iPhone or Android at any time: see Delete your account. It deletes your email address, nickname, sessions, notification tokens and settings, friends, invites, requests and challenges, puzzle results and any pending sign-in codes. Finished games stay in the game history with your account removed from them.
On your device
The apps keep your sign-in in the iPhone Keychain or in encrypted storage on Android, and keep games played on the phone (against Sara, or two players on one phone) until they are uploaded to your account. Sara plays on the phone itself. Android app backup is turned off.
Cookies
The web game uses only cookies it needs to work, so there is no cookie banner:
| Cookie | What for | How long |
|---|---|---|
session | Keeps you signed in | Up to a year |
signin_request | A sign-in in progress | 20 minutes |
pending_invite | A friend invite you are accepting | 30 minutes |
game_<id> | Your seat in a game | 30 days |
cc_prefs | Display preferences such as board colours | A year |
The sign-up page and the contact form load Cloudflare Turnstile, which may set its own cookies to tell people from bots. This site (sarasmove.com) sets no cookies of its own.
Children
Sara's Move is not directed at children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
Your rights
You can ask to see, correct or delete the personal information we hold about you. Most of it you can change or delete yourself in the app. For anything else, contact us. We follow Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
Changes
When this policy changes, the effective date at the top changes. Important changes are also noted on this page.