NIKOLA Chess Engine | Superintelligent Chess, Written in MIND

1. Introduction

STARGA, Inc. ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use the NIKOLA Chess Engine software, website, and related services (collectively, the "Service"). Please read this policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal data.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

Contact information (email address) when you contact us for support
Account information if you register for optional online services
Feedback and correspondence when you communicate with us
Chess game data and analysis you choose to share or submit

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

Device information (hardware model, operating system, GPU specifications)
Usage data (engine configuration, search parameters, performance metrics)
Log data (access times, features used, error reports)
Network information when connecting to data services (IP address, connection type)
Website usage statistics, as described in Section 8 (Website Analytics and Cookies)

2.3 Chess Data

When using the Service, we may collect anonymized chess position data, move sequences, and evaluation results for the purpose of improving our neural network training and engine performance. This data is aggregated and does not identify individual users.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To provide, maintain, and improve the Service
To develop new features and functionality
To train and enhance our neural network evaluation (NNUE) models
To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
To send technical notices, updates, and security alerts
To detect, prevent, and address technical issues and security threats
To analyze usage patterns and optimize performance
To comply with legal obligations

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

Service Providers: With third-party vendors who perform services on our behalf (hosting, analytics, customer support)
Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or governmental authority
Protection of Rights: To protect the rights, property, or safety of STARGA, Inc., our users, or others
Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
With Consent: With your explicit consent for any other purpose

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Anonymized and aggregated data may be retained indefinitely for research and improvement purposes. When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymize it. Event-level Google Analytics data from this website is kept for 14 months (see Section 8.2).

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encryption, access controls, secure data centers, and regular security assessments. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
Portability: Request transfer of your data to another service
Objection: Object to processing of your data for certain purposes
Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
Withdrawal of Consent: Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

8. Website Analytics and Cookies

We use two analytics services on this website. The first runs for every visitor and uses no cookies. The second, Google Analytics, depends on where you are: in the European Union, the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland it runs only if you accept it; elsewhere it runs unless you opt out.

8.1 Cloudflare Web Analytics (always on, cookieless)

Cloudflare Web Analytics gives us aggregate statistics about visits. It does not set cookies, does not use local storage, and does not fingerprint your browser or track you across sites. For each page view it records the page address, the referring page, browser and operating system type, the country the request came from, and page-load performance timings. We only see this information in aggregate. Cloudflare processes it on our behalf as a service provider.

8.2 Google Analytics 4

To decide which rule applies, your browser asks our server (a Cloudflare function at /api/geo) whether your request comes from one of those regions. The answer is only yes or no, it is derived from the country Cloudflare assigns to your connection, and nothing is logged or stored. If the region cannot be determined, we treat you as being in one of those regions.

EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland: Google Analytics is not loaded at all unless you choose "Accept analytics" in the consent banner. If you choose "Reject", or make no choice, no request is sent to Google.

Elsewhere: no banner is shown and Google Analytics loads with analytics storage allowed and every advertising signal denied. You can opt out at any time with the "Cookie settings" link in the footer.

Global Privacy Control: if your browser sends the Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it as an opt-out everywhere and Google Analytics is never loaded.

What it collects: pages you view, the referring page, interactions such as scrolling, outbound link clicks and file downloads, session duration, device type, browser, operating system, screen size, language, and approximate location (country and city) derived from your IP address. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses.
Cookies: when it runs, Google Analytics sets the first-party cookies _ga and _ga_<ID>, which distinguish visitors and sessions. We set their lifetime to 730 days (2 years); it is renewed on each visit in which Google Analytics runs.
What we switch off: advertising storage, ad user data and ad personalisation stay denied, Google signals are disabled, ad personalisation signals are disabled, and we do not send user IDs or any information that identifies you by name or email.
Retention: event-level Google Analytics data (data tied to a cookie or device identifier) is kept for 14 months and then deleted automatically; only aggregated reports are kept after that.
Google as processor: Google processes this data on our behalf as a data processor under Google's data processing terms. Data may be processed in the United States (see Section 11).
Legal basis: in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland, your consent, which you can withdraw at any time; elsewhere, our legitimate interest in understanding how the website is used, subject to your right to opt out.

8.3 Your choice and how to withdraw

Your choice is stored in your browser's local storage, not in a cookie. You can change it at any time with the "Cookie settings" link in the website footer or the button below. If you choose "Reject" (withdrawing consent or opting out), Google Analytics stops collecting data immediately, we delete the Google Analytics cookies on our domain, and the tag is not loaded on later visits. Clearing this site's data in your browser also resets your choice.

8.4 Other cookies

The website itself sets no advertising or preference cookies. Our hosting and security provider, Cloudflare, may set strictly necessary security cookies (for example to filter automated bot traffic); these are not used for analytics. You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings.

9. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites and services, including GitHub, Lichess, and other chess platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

10. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, including the United States. These countries may have different data protection laws. When we transfer data internationally, we implement appropriate safeguards to protect your information, including standard contractual clauses and other legal mechanisms.

12. California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete your information, and the right to opt-out of the sale of your information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your California privacy rights, contact us at [email protected].

13. European Privacy Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our legal bases for processing include consent, contractual necessity, and legitimate interests. You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

STARGA, Inc.
Email: [email protected]
Data Protection Officer: [email protected]