Terms of use & the SwissMax licence.

These terms apply to zonchess.com and to the SwissMax and ChessZCam products published under the zonChess brand by Motivace Studio (legal details at the end of this page). “We” and “us” below mean Motivace Studio.

Website use

Content on zonchess.com is informational. Features described as in development, pre-release, on the roadmap or coming soon may change, or may not ship, before release; screenshots show development builds. You must not misuse the site, submit unlawful material, attempt unauthorised access, or interfere with its forms, comments or other services.

Waitlist and communications

Joining the waitlist allows Motivace Studio to email you about the product you selected — its development, testing, the early trial build and launch. It does not create an order, reservation or payment obligation. You may unsubscribe or ask for your record to be deleted at any time through Contact. How that information is handled is explained in the Privacy Policy.

ChessZCam early-supporter offer. Registered waitlist supporters receive 50% off their first ChessZCam package purchase when sales open. Full package prices are Mobile RM99 / USD24.99, Studio RM149 / USD39.99 and Creator Live RM249 / USD69.99. Registration is free and is not an order. Device allowances, rollout and licence details.

Pre-release and early trial builds

SwissMax and ChessZCam are in active development. Early trial builds sent to waitlist members and field testers are pre-release development builds, provided for evaluation. They may contain defects, and features may be changed, renamed or removed before release. Keep your own backups of tournament files, recordings and PGN, and do not rely on a pre-release build as the only record of an event.

The SwissMax licence

The SwissMax licence model is settled: pay once, keep using the version you bought, with two years of free updates. What is not decided yet is SwissMax pricing and trial terms. ChessZCam package prices, device allowances and the 14-day Studio trial are published on the ChessZCam page; sales and each release phase will be announced separately.

The exact licence scope (for example, the number of computers) will be shown at checkout and in the order confirmation, and that version is the one that applies to a purchase.

A completed purchase will grant the purchaser a non-exclusive, non-transferable, perpetual licence to use the purchased SwissMax base product within that licence scope. The licence is not ownership of the software or its source code, and it may not be resold, sublicensed, publicly redistributed or shared outside the purchasing person or organisation.

Updates and additional modules

• Free updates to the purchased SwissMax base product are included for two years from the purchase date.
• After the update window ends, the last version covered by that window remains licensed for use. There is no obligation to buy another update plan merely to keep using that eligible version.
• Future optional modules, add-ons, hosted services, specialist integrations or other separately identified products are not included unless the product description explicitly says they are.
• Security, compatibility or platform changes outside Motivace Studio’s reasonable control may eventually affect older versions.

Digital fulfilment

When sales open, SwissMax will be delivered digitally for supported Windows computers (the current development builds run on Windows 10/11, 64-bit). The installer or download access, receipt and licence/activation instructions will be provided electronically after successful payment. No physical product is shipped. Current system requirements and activation scope will be shown before checkout.

ChessZCam Studio and the Android app: the free trial and the licence

Terms version 2026-10-23: the version ChessZCam Studio and the ChessZCam Android app show before a trial starts. If you agreed to an earlier version and later recover that trial, the agreement you made stays.

• Starting the trial. 14 days, free: one trial per PC in Studio, with every Studio feature including Live (Studio as the camera for ChessZCam Live with vMix or OBS), and one trial per phone in the Android app, with its detection and board sharing. It starts only when you accept these terms and choose “Agree & start my 14-day trial” in Studio or the app, and our server answers successfully; the server sets the start date from its own clock. Installing or opening Studio or the app, or being online, does not start it. Reinstalling, clearing the app's data, changing the device's clock or starting again does not add days. No code and no payment details are needed.
• Work in progress at the end. A trial operation that was already started and recorded before the trial ended (for example a scan) may finish, for up to 24 hours after the end. This applies to that operation only — its own ID, subject and checkpoint. It is not extra trial time and does not allow new work. A paid licence on a build released after its update period does not get this trial grace.
• A wrong clock. If the PC's or phone's date or time was wrong, correct it, connect to the internet and choose “Recover trial”. The original start and end dates stay the same; there is no code and no new trial.
• After the trial. Everything you made stays yours: saved projects, manual corrections, saved analysis and PGN and video exports stay available, and Viewer stays free. New detection, new engine analysis, board hosting and Live need a licence (Live is part of Creator Live); new analysis is not free after the trial.
• A paid licence. One payment, no subscription. Studio covers one Windows PC, plus two phones with the Android app; Mobile and Creator Live follow their own release phases. A licence keeps working for the versions it covers. It includes the updates released within 24 months of its first paid activation (the trial does not count); after that the last eligible version keeps working, and Studio warns before you download a version outside the update period. The licence key activates once online, then Studio or the app works offline.
• Updates. You install updates yourself: save your project and close Studio before installing a new version. Studio only checks for and opens the official download; it does not install anything by itself.
• Moving to a new PC or phone. Ask us through the contact form. Revocation blocks future server activations of that licence; a transfer releases the old device's seat so the new one can activate. Neither can remotely remove an already-issued offline activation on eligible builds. Stop using the old installation when moving a licence or receiving a refund.
• Fair use. A licence belongs to the person or organisation that bought it and may not be resold, shared or published. Getting around the trial or licence checks is not allowed; a misused trial or key may be cancelled. Cancelling never deletes your work.
• Orders and refunds. Orders are confirmed by hand and the licence key is sent once payment is confirmed; there is no automated checkout. Refunds follow the Refund Policy.
• What Studio or the app sends to start a trial or activate a key, and what our licence server keeps, is described in the Privacy Policy.

Third-party systems and tournament responsibility

SwissMax and ChessZCam are developed independently and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Swiss-Manager, Chess-Results, FIDE, vMix or OBS.

• SwissMax is a companion beside Swiss-Manager. It assists with operational and presentation work — registrations, pairing and results displays, score collection, winner graphics and certificates. The organiser, Swiss-Manager and the chief arbiter remain responsible for official pairings, rankings, tie-breaks, prize decisions and tournament records.
• Rating estimates are estimates. Estimated FIDE and MCF (Malaysian Chess Federation) rating changes are previews, not official ratings — the official lists decide. Organisers elsewhere are welcome to ask about their own federation or club rating list.
• ChessZCam is for recording, review and broadcast. Its move detection depends on the camera setup, lighting and video quality, so check recorded moves and PGN before publishing them. It is not an adjudication tool and is never a basis for settling a dispute at the board — that belongs to the arbiter.
• Consent and permissions stay with the organiser. Whoever runs the event, films or broadcasts a game is responsible for participant consent — including parents or guardians of junior players — and for the venue’s permission.
• Availability or format changes in third-party services may affect related imports and live-production connections.

Refunds, support and statutory rights

The published Refund Policy explains the planned process. Nothing in these terms excludes rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded under applicable consumer law. Support requests should include the app version, the operating system or device, and a concise description of the problem — screenshots help.

Disclaimer and liability

Pre-release and trial software is provided for evaluation and may contain defects. To the extent permitted by law, Motivace Studio is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss caused by incorrect source data, third-party outages, venue networks, or an organiser’s failure to verify official tournament information. Any liability that cannot be excluded is limited only to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Governing law and contact

These terms are governed by the laws of Malaysia, without limiting mandatory consumer rights that apply in a purchaser’s jurisdiction. We may update these terms as the products develop; the “last updated” date at the top of this page shows the current version. Questions may be sent through the contact form.

Legal supplier: Motivace Studio (MA0350336-V), 13500 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. zonChess is its product brand.