Cookie Policy

This page explains the cookies and browser storage Skybound Chess uses. It's short, because we don't use very many.

Cookies we always set

When you log in, we set a single httpOnly authentication cookie that keeps you signed in. It's strictly necessary — the Service can't know who you are between page loads without it — and it can't be read by JavaScript or by any other site. This one isn't optional; blocking it means you'll be logged out.

Cookies we set only with your permission

If you accept analytics in the cookie banner, we load Google Analytics to understand how many people visit and which pages they use — nothing more granular than that. It sets its own cookies (typically _ga and _gid) to distinguish visitors between sessions. If you decline, or don't choose, none of this loads and none of these cookies are set.

Advertising cookies

We use Google AdSense to show ads and help fund the Service. Unlike analytics, the AdSense script loads on every page for every visitor — it isn't gated by the cookie banner, because it needs to be present for ads to serve at all. Google may set cookies through AdSense to measure ad performance and, where permitted, personalize which ads you see. Google's own policies govern how that data is used; see How Google uses information from sites that use its services for detail. We don't control or see the contents of these cookies ourselves.

What we don't use

• No cross-site tracking beyond what Google Analytics and Google AdSense themselves require to run.
• No selling of your data, and no sharing beyond what those two Google services require.

Local storage

We use your browser's local storage (not a cookie, but similar in spirit) for a couple of small, non-tracking preferences:

• Remembering your cookie choice (accept or decline analytics).
• A couple of lightweight UI preferences (e.g. Stockfish loads a small WASM cache to start faster next time).

None of this is shared with us or with anyone else — it stays in your browser.

Controlling cookies

Changed your mind about analytics? Update your choice below — it'll show the cookie banner again on your next page load. You're also always free to clear cookies and local storage for this site from your browser's settings at any time.

More detail

For how we handle your account and game data more broadly, see our Privacy Policy.