US Chess Forums Acceptable Usage Guidelines (AUG)
- Preamble. The AUG governs the US Chess Forums to create a cordial and productive discussion
of the game of chess and US Chess concerns. 1 Certain portions of the Forums are open to the general
public, while other portions may be limited to US Chess members. The Forums are not a right or a
privilege of membership. The Forums are a service provided by US Chess to increase the enjoyment
of, and to advance the game of chess, for all. The Forums are controlled exclusively by US Chess.
The Forums will be civil and benefit the game. Communications that are not civil, or not reasonably
calculated to benefit chess, may be removed without further explanation by US Chess or its
moderators. 2 US Chess values freedom of expression, but governmental constitutional standards have
no application to these private Forums. - The Poster is Responsible. By accessing the Forums, you understand that all information, data,
text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages, tags, or other materials
(hereinafter “Content”), whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, are the sole responsibility
of the person from whom such Content originated on these Forums. If you use (read or post on) these
US Chess Forums you are indicating that you agree that US Chess is not responsible for the Content
found here. Only the Executive Director, or the Executive Director’s designees, including members
of the Executive Board have the authority to post on these Forums on behalf of US Chess. Executive
Board members and Delegates exclusively represent their own opinions and positions when posting
on the Forums. Moderators may take actions on behalf of US Chess in conformance with this AUG,
but they do not otherwise communicate on behalf of US Chess. To the extent that this AUG requires
clarification, it will be construed by the Executive Director. - US Chess is NOT Liable for Content Posted on These Forums. The above, among other things,
means that you, and not US Chess, are entirely responsible for all Content that you upload, post,
email, link, transmit or otherwise make available via these Forums. US Chess does not control the
Content posted on these Forums and, as such, does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of
uploaded or posted Content. You understand that by using these Forums, you may be exposed to
Content that is offensive, indecent or objectionable to your own personal beliefs. You may also be
liable for any Content that you post that runs afoul of any law. While the Forums’ moderators will
attempt to remove all materials that violate this AUG, under no circumstances will US Chess be
liable in any way for any Content, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any
Content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any Content posted,
emailed, transmitted or otherwise made available via these Forums. - Precluded Activity. You agree to NOT use the US Chess Forums to:
a. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous,
invasive of another’s privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;
1 The AUG also applies to US Chess Private Messages (PMs), which are accessed through US Chess Forums software.
2 Under most circumstances, moderators will be expected to briefly explain the removal of a post or thread to its originator. In
some circumstances, the violation of this AUG may be so apparent or egregious that no explanation is necessary.
b. harm any person (minor or adult) in any way;
c. impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, US Chess administrators, a
moderator, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
d. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
you do not have a right to make available under any law or under contractual or fiduciary
relationships (this includes, but is not limited to inside information, proprietary and confidential
information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure
agreements);
e. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
was authored in a private communication by another person unless you have the author’s express
written permission to do so;
f. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
represents a fact that is detrimental to an entity or another person unless you can substantiate the
fact(s) relied upon;
g. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights (hereinafter
“Rights”) of any party;
h. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any unsolicited or
unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, “junk mail,” “spam,” “chain letters,” “pyramid
schemes,” “charitable requests” or any other form of solicitation or self promotion, whether directly
or indirectly;
i. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any material that
contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy
or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment;
j. disrupt the normal flow of posting or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other users’
ability to engage in accessing and using the site;
k. intentionally or unintentionally violate any applicable local, state, national or international law and
any regulations having the force of law while using the Forums;
l. post advertising materials, directly or indirectly, whether your own or that of another;
m. use the poster’s signature line to carry on substantive discussion, convey an ongoing complaint,
circumvent these rules, antagonize other posters or moderators, proselytize, or provide links to other
Internet addresses;
n. “stalk” or otherwise harass another; and/or
o. collect or store personal data about other users in connection with the prohibited conduct and
activities set forth in paragraphs a. through m. above;
p. discuss how to perform, elude capture, or profit from illegal activities;
q. post nudity or graphic descriptions of sex;
r. post links to sites with grotesque, gruesome or disgusting pictures/videos;
s. insult/attack other users;
t. use vulgarities or obscenities;
u. taunt the moderators;
US Chess Forums Acceptable Usage Guidelines (AUG)
- Preamble. The AUG governs the US Chess Forums to create a cordial and productive discussion
of the game of chess and US Chess concerns. 1 Certain portions of the Forums are open to the general
public, while other portions may be limited to US Chess members. The Forums are not a right or a
privilege of membership. The Forums are a service provided by US Chess to increase the enjoyment
of, and to advance the game of chess, for all. The Forums are controlled exclusively by US Chess.
The Forums will be civil and benefit the game. Communications that are not civil, or not reasonably
calculated to benefit chess, may be removed without further explanation by US Chess or its
moderators. 2 US Chess values freedom of expression, but governmental constitutional standards have
no application to these private Forums. - The Poster is Responsible. By accessing the Forums, you understand that all information, data,
text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages, tags, or other materials
(hereinafter “Content”), whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, are the sole responsibility
of the person from whom such Content originated on these Forums. If you use (read or post on) these
US Chess Forums you are indicating that you agree that US Chess is not responsible for the Content
found here. Only the Executive Director, or the Executive Director’s designees, including members
of the Executive Board have the authority to post on these Forums on behalf of US Chess. Executive
Board members and Delegates exclusively represent their own opinions and positions when posting
on the Forums. Moderators may take actions on behalf of US Chess in conformance with this AUG,
but they do not otherwise communicate on behalf of US Chess. To the extent that this AUG requires
clarification, it will be construed by the Executive Director. - US Chess is NOT Liable for Content Posted on These Forums. The above, among other things,
means that you, and not US Chess, are entirely responsible for all Content that you upload, post,
email, link, transmit or otherwise make available via these Forums. US Chess does not control the
Content posted on these Forums and, as such, does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of
uploaded or posted Content. You understand that by using these Forums, you may be exposed to
Content that is offensive, indecent or objectionable to your own personal beliefs. You may also be
liable for any Content that you post that runs afoul of any law. While the Forums’ moderators will
attempt to remove all materials that violate this AUG, under no circumstances will US Chess be
liable in any way for any Content, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any
Content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any Content posted,
emailed, transmitted or otherwise made available via these Forums. - Precluded Activity. You agree to NOT use the US Chess Forums to:
a. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous,
invasive of another’s privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;
1 The AUG also applies to US Chess Private Messages (PMs), which are accessed through US Chess Forums software.
2 Under most circumstances, moderators will be expected to briefly explain the removal of a post or thread to its originator. In
some circumstances, the violation of this AUG may be so apparent or egregious that no explanation is necessary.
b. harm any person (minor or adult) in any way;
c. impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, US Chess administrators, a
moderator, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
d. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
you do not have a right to make available under any law or under contractual or fiduciary
relationships (this includes, but is not limited to inside information, proprietary and confidential
information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure
agreements);
e. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
was authored in a private communication by another person unless you have the author’s express
written permission to do so;
f. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
represents a fact that is detrimental to an entity or another person unless you can substantiate the
fact(s) relied upon;
g. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights (hereinafter
“Rights”) of any party;
h. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any unsolicited or
unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, “junk mail,” “spam,” “chain letters,” “pyramid
schemes,” “charitable requests” or any other form of solicitation or self promotion, whether directly
or indirectly;
i. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any material that
contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy
or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment;
j. disrupt the normal flow of posting or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other users’
ability to engage in accessing and using the site;
k. intentionally or unintentionally violate any applicable local, state, national or international law and
any regulations having the force of law while using the Forums;
l. post advertising materials, directly or indirectly, whether your own or that of another;
m. use the poster’s signature line to carry on substantive discussion, convey an ongoing complaint,
circumvent these rules, antagonize other posters or moderators, proselytize, or provide links to other
Internet addresses;
n. “stalk” or otherwise harass another; and/or
o. collect or store personal data about other users in connection with the prohibited conduct and
activities set forth in paragraphs a. through m. above;
p. discuss how to perform, elude capture, or profit from illegal activities;
q. post nudity or graphic descriptions of sex;
r. post links to sites with grotesque, gruesome or disgusting pictures/videos;
s. insult/attack other users;
t. use vulgarities or obscenities;
u. taunt the moderators;
v. start threads about “why was my thread deleted?” Private message a moderator to resolve any
issue;
w. post inappropriate images;
x. post repetitively;
y. try to bypass the censors;
z. spam, self promotion, and referral links are not allowed. Such links (including url shortener links
such as bit.ly) may be automatically stripped;
aa. upload, post, email, link, Private Message, transmit or otherwise make available any Content that
calls the integrity of another person into question, states or suggests a person is a liar, or that contains
deliberately insulting language, including but not limited to calling into question a person’s loyalty,
diligence appearance, intelligence, or sincerity. - The Moderation Queue; Suspension; Expulsion. US Chess’ Executive Director and moderators
have broad discretion to supervise the forums and Private Messages (PMs). If a member, or non-
member in certain forums, violate this AUG, any two moderators may agree to place a poster in the
“Queue” for up to 30 days. While in the Queue, a poster may continue to read and post in the forums;
however, posts must be released by a moderator before they will be seen by other forum participants.
Moderators may place a poster in the Queue twice within any twelve-month period year for up to 30
days on each occasion. If a third AUG violation warranting action in the moderators’ view occurs
within any twelve-month period, after placing the poster into the Queue for a third time, and then for
every subsequent time thereafter, the moderators must immediately refer the poster to the Executive
Director for possible additional action. Upon referral, the moderators may recommend any sanction
available to the Executive. The Executive Director may place the poster in the Queue for any period
of time, suspend the poster’s Forum privileges for a definite time, or expel the poster from the
Forums indefinitely. Nothing in this paragraph is intended to prevent the moderators from referring
serious violations to the Executive Director before being placed into the Queue three times. The
Executive Director is free to impose sanctions without a recommendation or referral from the
moderators. - Appeal of Sanctions Greater than 60 Days. Any US Chess member (in good standing
throughout the time of the incident and the appeal) who has been sanctioned for a period of more
than 60 days or indefinitely (in one sanction), may appeal the sanction to the US Chess Executive
Board. The appeal will be made in writing within 30 days of the imposition of the sanction to the US
Chess Executive Board, addressed to the care of the US Chess Executive Director. The initial
notification of appeal will contain a succinct recitation of facts and circumstances to be reviewed by
the Executive Board. If the Executive Board needs additional facts, it will obtain them from the
Executive Director, third parties, and/or the sanctioned member. The Executive Board will within
sixty days of the appeal affirm the sanction, overturn the sanction, or modify the sanction. The
member will be notified of the Board’s decision by the Executive Director in writing. - US Chess May Delete Content. You acknowledge that US Chess may or may not pre-screen
Content, but that US Chess and its moderators shall have the right (but not the obligation) in their
sole discretion to pre-screen, refuse, delete, or move any Content that is available via the Forums.
Without limiting the foregoing, US Chess and its moderators shall have the right to remove any
Content (including off-topic posts) that violates this AUG or is otherwise objectionable at their sole
discretion. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any
Content, including any reliance on the accuracy completeness, or usefulness of such Content. In this
regard, you acknowledge that you may not rely on any Content created by US Chess or submitted to
US Chess, including without limitation information in all parts of the Forums. - US Chess Right of Disclosure. You acknowledge, consent and agree that US Chess may access,
preserve and disclose your IP address, and Content if required to do so by law or in a good faith
belief that such access preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal
process; (b) enforce this AUG; (c) respond to claims that any Content violates the rights of third
parties; (d) respond to your requests for customer service; or (e) protect the rights, property or
personal safety of US Chess, its users, and the public. - Use of these Forums Is at the Discretion of US Chess. Membership use and permissions on this
site are at the sole discretion of US Chess. US Chess reserves the right to remove, edit, move or close
any thread or to bar any person, in its sole discretion. Some, any or all permissions to view and/or use
this site are subject to change, for no reason and with no advance notice. - Your Promises. By accessing and using these Forums, you warrant that you will not post any
messages that are obscene, vulgar, sexually-orientated, hateful, threatening, violate any of the listed
additional rules, or are otherwise violative of any laws. In addition, you also warrant that you will not
hold US Chess or any of its affiliates responsible for any post, image, or link posted from a Forum
user as the moderators are not full-time employees or volunteers and cannot immediately catch
everything. - Although the administrators and moderators of these Forums will attempt to keep all
objectionable messages off the Forums, it is impossible for them to review all messages at the time
they are posted. All messages express the views of the author, and US Chess will not be held
responsible for the content of any message.
Please keep in mind that whenever you give out personal information online — for example, via
message boards or chat — that information can be collected and used by people you don’t know.
While US Chess strives to protect your personal information and privacy, US Chess cannot guarantee
the security of any information you disclose online; you make such disclosures at your own risk.
However, if you violate the rules, US Chess reserves the right to disclose any and all user activity to
the public, third parties, and or law enforcement agencies.
The rules that we have put in place are guidelines that our staff and moderators use to ensure
that our website remains orderly. It is impossible to write a rule for every conceivable
circumstance and situation. Thus the “rules” are in fact guidelines: Our moderators will look
at every situation individually and try to apply those guidelines and look at the “spirit” and
intent of the rule. If it is not an immediately clear and obvious situation, they will do their best
to make a judgment call. Moderators are subject to continual review by the Executive Director
and serve solely at the discretion of the Executive Director.
Adopted by US Chess Executive Board: November 11, 2018