Privacy Policy

Torus Chess Academy ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of parents, guardians, and students who use our website and services. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights in relation to that data.

1. Who We Are

Torus Chess Academy is an online chess education company providing live coaching to children aged 5–16 worldwide. Our principal place of business is in India. For enquiries regarding this policy, contact us at privacy@toruschessacademy.com.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Parent / guardian details: name, email address, phone number, WhatsApp number, country, city.
• Student details: first name, age, current chess level, learning goals.
• Account information: username, password (stored encrypted), portal preferences.
• Payment information: billing address, payment method details (processed securely by our payment partners — we do not store full card numbers).
• Communications: messages sent via our contact form, email correspondence, or WhatsApp.
• Institutional enquiries: school name, designation, programme interest.

2.2 Data Collected Automatically

• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, pages visited, referral source, session duration.
• Cookies and tracking: first-party session cookies, analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4), and marketing tags (Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel). See our Cookie Policy for details.
• Marketing attribution: how you found us (organic search, paid ad, social, referral) to help us improve our outreach.

3. How We Use Your Data

• Providing and managing your chess coaching services.
• Booking and scheduling trial classes and regular sessions.
• Sending service-related communications (class reminders, invoices, progress reports).
• Processing payments and issuing invoices and refunds.
• Improving our website, curriculum, and coaching quality.
• Personalising your experience in the parent and student portals.
• Analysing marketing performance to reach more families who may benefit from our programmes.
• Complying with our legal obligations.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

• Contract performance: processing your enrolment, classes, and payments.
• Legitimate interests: improving our service, fraud prevention, marketing analytics.
• Consent: direct marketing communications (you may withdraw at any time).
• Legal obligation: tax records, safeguarding requirements.

5. Children's Privacy

Our services are directed at children aged 5–16; however, accounts are always created and managed by a parent or legal guardian. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal data without parental consent, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

We are committed to safeguarding and handle any student data in accordance with applicable child protection standards.

6. Sharing Your Data

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with:

• Payment processors (e.g. Razorpay, Stripe) — to process transactions securely.
• Video conferencing tools (e.g. Zoom, Google Meet) — to deliver live classes.
• Email and communication services — to send OTPs, invoices, and notifications.
• Analytics providers (Google Analytics, Meta) — in aggregated or pseudonymised form.
• Professional advisors — legal, accounting, or auditing firms under confidentiality obligations.
• Regulatory authorities — where required by law.

7. International Transfers

As an international academy with students across India, UAE, UK, USA, Canada, and Australia, your data may be processed in countries outside your own. Where required, we apply appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) to protect such transfers.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter to resolve disputes, fulfil legal obligations, and improve our services. Payment records are retained for a minimum of seven years for tax and audit purposes. You may request deletion at any time subject to our legal retention obligations.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request erasure of your data ("right to be forgotten").
• Object to or restrict certain processing.
• Data portability (receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format).
• Withdraw consent at any time (this does not affect processing already carried out).

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@toruschessacademy.com. We will respond within 30 days.

10. Security

We use industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your data — including encrypted connections (TLS/HTTPS), hashed passwords, and role-based access controls. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure; please contact us immediately if you suspect any breach.

11. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies. Please read our dedicated Cookie Policy for full details.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices and encourage you to review their policies.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Material changes will be communicated by email or a prominent notice on our website. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

14. Contact Us

For privacy-related enquiries or to exercise your rights, please contact:

Torus Chess Academy
Email: privacy@toruschessacademy.com